The Doomed Wilcox Expedition

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Episode 30: The Doomed Wilcox Expedition

George Mallory once said, “I climb mountains because they are there.” Mallory died climbing Mt. Everest in 1924, and his body wasn’t found for 75 years. George Mallory represents both the passion and the danger for those who climb mountains.

On July 18, 1967, a catastrophic snowstorm pummeled Alaska’s Mt. Denali, killing seven of the twelve young men in the Wilcox Expedition attempting to reach the summit. This is still the worst climbing disaster ever to occur in the United States.  We will never know what happened at the top of Mt. Denali. Experts can only guess the fate of those seven unlucky climbers.

Sources

My primary source for this newsletter was Denali’s Howl by Andy Hall. If you want to learn more about this tragic event, I highly recommend this book.

Hall, Andy. 2014. Denali’s Howl. Plume, the Penguin Group. New York, NY.

Manley, Kelley McMillan. 7-2017. Disaster on Denali. 5280.com/ Magazine https://www.5280.com/2017/06/disaster-on-denali/

Duke, Kevin. 3-28-2012. Finishing the climb: Babcock finally tells his story of Denali tragedy. Gvnews.com. https://www.gvnews.com/sports/finishing-the-climb-babcock-finally-tells-his-story-of-denali-tragedy/article_d158684c-78f7-11e1-871e-0019bb2963f4.html

Worrall, Simon.  7-2014. The Denali climb that became one of the deadliest. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/140720-mountain-climbing-denali-mount-mckinley-alaska-national-parks

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Read about Murder and Mystery in Alaska

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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 Robin Barefield, your host for Episode 30

Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has written two nonfiction books, Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. Sign up to subscribe to her free monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska and check out her podcast: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier.  Read more about Robin’s books at Author Masterminds.

 

The Death of Juanita Richardson: Accident, Suicide, or Murder?

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Episode 29: The Death of Juanita Richardson: Accident, Suicide, or Murder?

On June 22, 2006, Juanita Richardson fell to her death. The investigation of her death, and the subsequent trial and conviction of her husband, Thomas Richardson, was not ordinary.

Sources:

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on appeal from the Western District of Michiganhttps://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/case.asp?s=MI&d=135150

Wife’s plunge sends Thomas Richardson to prison for life. May 20, 2008. The Associated Press https://www.mlive.com/grpress/2008/05/wifes_plunge_sends_thomas_rich.html

The Oakland Press / Schoolcraft County jury convicts man in wife’s fatal fall. https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2008/04/17/schoolcraft-county-jury-convicts-man-in-wifes-fatal-fall/

Juanita Richardson Murder Case: Where is Thomas Richardson Today? https://spikytv.com/juanita-richardson-murder-case-where-is-thomas-richardson-today/

Interview: Natalie Torres, Michigan State Trooper

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Read about Alaska’s Savage River

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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, your host for Episode 29

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.

 

 

 

 

Richard Willoughby and “The City in the Mist”

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Episode 28: Richard Willoughby and “The City in the Mist”

“Did Richard Willoughby really photograph a mirage in the sky, or was he conning the residents of Juneau, Alaska, and the many people who paid dearly for a copy of his photograph?”

                                                           

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Grab a copy of The Human Face of the Alaska Gold Rush

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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 Steve Levi, Your Host for Episode 28: Richard Willoughby and “The City in the Mist”

Ghosts of the Desert

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Episode 27: Ghosts of the Desert

Listen to ghost stories from the California desert.
Vallecito Stage Stop
Yaqui Well

 

 

 

 

 

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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

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Meet Victoria Hardesty, your host for Episode 27: Ghosts of the Desert

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).

 

Christmas Hauntings in England

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Episode 26: Christmas Hauntings in England

When I hear the words ‘ghost’ and ‘Christmas,’ I automatically think about my favorite Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens and Scrooge’s nightmare evening of being visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. But did you know other Christmas ghost stories aren’t so full of hope and the spirit of the season? You may not since hauntings are far from most people’s minds during Christmas.

Some creepy paranormal occurrences tied to Christmas revolve around certain places that, for one reason or another, become haunted at Christmas time and have been so for a long time. England has several such hauntings. Today, we are traveling across the Pond to the shores of the United Kingdom.

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New Release by Mary Ann Poll

Welcome to Andalusia Forest, a theme park that once bustled with excitement but now lies abandoned, steeped in mysterious legends and tales of hauntings. This once-beloved destination is still imbued with a captivating allure, a magnet for both treasure seekers and the curious. In this intriguing setting, a tenacious ghost hunter, Chloe Melbourne, teams up with the adventurous Iconoclast trio of Kat, Ken, and Bart. What starts as a straightforward mission to locate a missing friend quickly becomes an exploration of the forest’s deeper secrets. No longer home to the whimsical creatures that once danced in the minds of its audience, Andalusia Forest reveals chilling truths hidden in its shadows. Why not embark on this exciting journey? The gates are open for those willing to venture into the unknown. You’re invited to discover the enigmatic entities that inhabit these haunting woods. With a balanced blend of whimsy and reality, the tale of Andalusia Forest offers a thrilling yet measured experience. So, take a bold step, and let the answers reveal themselves through your exploration. Andalusia Forest awaits. Will you heed the call?

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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 Mary Ann Poll, your host for Episode 26: Christmas Hauntings in England

Mary Ann Poll is the author of five Supernatural Thriller novels, Ravens Cove, Ingress, Gorgon, Dullahan, and Andalusia Forest.

Sign up to subscribe for free information about upcoming events at www.maryannpoll.com and check out her podcast Real Ghost Chatter.

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What Happened to the Christmas Tree Ship?

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Episode 25: What Happened to the Christmas Tree Ship?

The ship known as the Christmas Tree Ship, the Rouse Simmons, sank in November of 1912 between Kewaunee and Two Rivers, Wisconsin, during a winter storm on Lake Michigan. The ship left Thompson Pier, Michigan, reportedly needing repair, and overloaded with Christmas trees for its annual journey to the expanding Christmas market in Chicago. The story surrounding the mystery of the sinking and the legend that followed cannot be told without first sharing the story of the schooners and their masters in the late 19th century.

 

Sources:

  1. Neuschel, Fred.Lives and Legends of the Christmas Tree Ships. The University of Michigan Press. 2007
  2. Christmas Tree Ship, the Rouse Simmons, sank on Lake Michigan 109 years ago. Wisconsin Maritime Museum will honor its legacy Saturday.

https://www.htrnews.com/story/entertainment/2021/12/01/lake-michigan-christmas-tree-ship-rouse-simmons-sank-1912/8778837002/

  1. A ship carrying thousands of Christmas trees sank in Lake Michigan 107 years ago.

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/history/christmas-tree-ship-sinking/69-06a7fa47-2e80-4ab0-b592-6b62bcc8e078

 

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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

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Meet Valerie Winans, your host for Episode 25

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.

A Terrible Christmas Tragedy — Or Murder?

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Episode 24: A Terrible Christmas Tragedy — Or Was It Murder?

 

The Jon Benet Ramsey case pops into most of our minds when we are asked to relay the most terrible Christmas story we know, but seventy-eight years ago in 1945 in Fayetteville, West Virginia, the Sodder family lost five of their ten children in a house fire on Christmas Eve. Was it a tragedy, a murder, or a kidnapping? Until their deaths, George and Jennie Sodder believed their five children survived the fire, but if so, where did they go?

 

Photo Resembling Louis

Sources:

Abbott, Karen. “The children who went up in smoke.” December 25, 2012. Smithsonian Magazine.

History’s Greatest Mysteries. Season 3, episode 9. “The Sodder children disappearance.”

Horn, Stacy. “Mystery of missing children haunts W.Va. Town. All Things Considered. NPR.

Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes. 2009. New York, NY: Checkmark Books.

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Want more MYSTERIOUS? Be sure to subscribe!           Subscribe by Email

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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

________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Meet Robin Barefield, your host for Episode 24:

Robin Barefield is the author of five Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, and Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge. She has written two nonfiction books, Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. Sign up to subscribe to her free monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska and check out her podcast: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier.  Read more about Robin’s books at Author Masterminds.

Now Available: 29 True Stories about Murder and Mystery in Alaska

 

The Mystery of The Way to Go, Nassau, Buster Brown

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Episode 23: The Mystery of The Way to Go, Nassau, Buster Brown

This is the story of a gorgeous Thoroughbred horse. If he could talk, it would be interesting to listen to him talk about the many miles he put on American roads and highways. We know he crossed the entire continent twice and went halfway one additional time.

 

 

 

 

 

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Want more MYSTERIOUS? Be sure to subscribe!           Subscribe by Email

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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 Victoria Hardesty, your host for Episode 23:

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 that loved and showed their own horses. She is the author of numerous articles in horse magazines, 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).

The Mothman of Point Pleasant

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Episode 22: The Mothman of Point Pleasant

Welcome to a journey through one of America’s most haunting enigmas—the Mothman of Point Pleasant.
Plus — The Phantom Dogsled.

 

 

 

 

 

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New Release by Mary Ann Poll

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Want more MYSTERIOUS? Be sure to subscribe!           Subscribe by Email

__________________________________________________________________

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 Mary Ann Poll, your host for Episode 22: The Mothman of Point Pleasant

Mary Ann Poll is the author of five Supernatural Thriller novels, Ravens Cove, Ingress, Gorgon, Dullahan, and Andalusia Forest.

Sign up to subscribe for free information about upcoming events at www.maryannpoll.com and check out her podcast Real Ghost Chatter.

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The Phantom Dog Sled was written and performed by Steve Levi. Check out his books at Author Masterminds.