Episodes
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
The Real Treasure Island
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
350 miles off the cost of Costa Rica lies the legendary Cocos Island. Over the centuries it’s been a refuge for pirates, mutinous mariners, and the obsession of hundreds of treasure hunters. Some believe it was the original inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island.
Though little evidence exists for the purported billion dollars worth of treasure said to be hidden within its shores, it has seen centuries worth of strange and interesting history. Pirates like Captain Morgan, Benito Bonito, Captain Edward Davis, Captain Bennett Grahame, and the mutinous Captain Thompson used the island as a haven and, some believe, left treasures such as the Devonshire hoard, the fabled treasure of Lima, and pirate booty on the island.
Subsequent centuries saw hundreds of treasure hunting expeditions. Some brought dynamite, one dug an irrational series of tunnels for two decades, at least eight exploded, many were evicted or arrested, and all left empty handed.
In this all new episode we explore the historical figures and incredible events surrounding this island and the treasure hunting expeditions carried out by those who became obsessed with the legends surrounding this real Treasure Island.
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Stagecoach Mary
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
There are many legendary figures who emerged from the American Wild West. In this all new episode we explore the life of the lesser known, though no less incredible, Mary Fields, who has come to be known as Stagecoach Mary.
Born enslaved, Mary was emancipated around the age of 33 after the American Civil War. Eventually she moved west to the Montana Territory. There she worked alongside the Ursuline nuns and Jesuits at St. Peter’s mission until she was dismissed for an incident involving drawn firearms.
Mary was a mold breaker and was unafraid to push against the expectations of others. She drank, smoke cigars, carried firearms, and sometimes wore men’s clothing. She was also someone of great generosity and won the admiration of many people in Cascade, Montana.
She was an unstoppable force, and at the age of 63, became history’s first African American Star Route Carrier for the US Postal Service. This was a dangerous job, but despite the threat of predators, bandits, rugged terrain, and harsh winters, Mary and her mule Moses never missed a day in her eight year tenure as a Star Route Carrier. If the whether became impassable for her stagecoach, Mary would deliver the mail by snowshoe, carrying the sacks over her shoulders.
Mary became a legend in her own time as stories of this gun carrying, cigar smoking, hard liquor drinking woman who seemed to break down every barrier thrown her way, earned Mary her place in history.
Come hear how the life of Mary Fields become the legend of Stagecoach Mary.