Dark Wanderings
By Rebecca Robinson & Laura Exner
Dark WanderingsSep 29, 2022
Burke & Hare - Part 2 - S2.E5.
We finish the sad and gruesome tale of 19th century serial killers Burke & Hare - and discuss a silver lining to it all.
Burke & Hare - S2.E4
This week, we get a crash course on 1827 Edinburgh and the serial killer case that rocked the first half of the 19th century. Rebecca tells Laura how she learned about the murders and how it has become a bit of an obsession...because Serial Killers (Burke and Hare) are more interesting in a gothic old city.
Yellowstone - The Death Trap - S2.E3
What does one of the nation's most famous National Parks have other than wildlife and nature? Death and injury from said wildlife and nature. Rebecca tells Laura about her adventure traveling the area last month, and relays stories along the way. It truly is a lesson in "Dumb Ways to Die".
Blucifer - S2.E2
Denver International Airport, also known as DIA or DEN by your local travel agent, is home to some of the strangest art in the country. Not only that, none of it is cohesive, and its main claim to fame killed its maker. If this isn't the setting for a Greek Tragedy, we don't know what is.
Laura and Rebecca discuss the myths and legends that surround the Airport, inside and out, and how you too can have fun with conspiracy theories!
Music by AudioNauti // Beginning Sound clip from Denver7News - 2018 // Livelihood Coop Productions
Frozen Dead Guy Days - S2. E1.
Colorado has not one, but two coffin races every year, and this one is surprisingly based on more truth than fiction! Rebecca visits the newly relocated Frozen Dead Guy Days in Estes Park to learn just what makes people want to race coffins, and Laura tells Rebecca the story of what started it all in Nederland, Colorado.
https://darkwanderings.com/2023/04/26/frozen-dead-guy-days/https://darkwanderings.com/2023/04/26/frozen-dead-guy-days/.
Merry Krampus - S1.E9
Krampus is quickly becoming a beloved Christmas monster in the United States and the cultural zeitgeist. Laura explains to Rebecca what the legend is in the past and how romance novels are influencing the present. While an oddball Germanic tradition reaching into our Pagan past of Europe. He resembles other legends, including that of Iceland; but his modern interpretation has taken some unique turns.
Icelandic Christmas - S1.E8
Becca does something different this week and interviews a friend about growing up in Iceland in the 1960s and 1970s and what that meant around Christmas time. Iceland is home to notoriously unique and peculiar legends around lads, witches, and a mischievous cat.
The Thanksgiving Myth - S1.E7.
We're all told one story - pilgrims (a group of puritans) running from religious persecution landed on our shores to a new land. The Native Americans (Indians) aided these pilgrims in their conquering of what is modern day New England.
We're given cute cartoons, plays, horrifically racist paper outfits and headdresses, and told it's all okay under the guise of history and American exceptionalism. The fairy tale, is just that, a made up fantasy of how 17th century Europeans blended with Native Peoples. The reality is much more complicated and malicious, and is a small part of the greater genocide of the Americas.
Today, we explore that past in the hopes that we can move away from the fairytale and have a better conversation on the meaning and insult of our so-called Thanksgiving.
Emma Crawford Coffin Races - S1.E6
Colorado is home to some odd traditions. While parades, polar plunges, and nude skiing top the list, a lot of people miss the well-loved tradition of Coffin Racing.
About 30 years ago a group of people got together in Manitou Springs and took one of their local legends and turned it into a Halloween extravaganza. This was a hope to increase tourism in the shoulder season for a town that mostly operated on summer visits to the area, especially Pikes Peak.
Laura and Becca visit the 2022 races and learn more about the even than expected!They also need a hearse
Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel - S1.E5
Laura and Becca are kicking it close to home in Estes Park, Colorado. They decided to check out the historic and supposedly VERY haunted Stanley Hotel in August of this year. Did Becca have a ghostly encounter? Or are ghosts like Moose and elusive characters that hide from and dislike tourists?
We also share a PSA on marijuana usage on federal lands....and other Colorado things. Don't miss this!
Music by DJ Spooky
The Donner (Reed) Party (Part 2) - S1.E4
Episodes 3 & 4 are a dive into what the hell happened when a group of 80 people in a wagon train tried to take shortcuts, left late, and followed bad advice in 1846-1847. We also delve into the history of what exactly defines cannibalism and when it has occurred in more recent history. As always, we encourage additional reading and exploration if this is a topic that really interests you! Additionally, this content may be disturbing, so skip it and sit tight a couple weeks for when we move onto something less intense.
References/Alternative Sources
A lighter take on the Donner Party: You’re Wrong About
Books:- Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History – by Bill Schutt
- The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny – by Michael Wallis
Nebraska
- Scotts Bluff National Monument/Chimney Rock – Scotts Bluff, Nebraska
Wyoming
- Fort Laramie – Fort Laramie
- Ayers Natural Bridge – Douglas
- National Historic Trails Interpretive Center – Casper
- Independence Rock – Natrona County
- Little Sandy Crossing – Rock Springs
- Fort Bridger
Utah
- Donner-Reed Museum – Grantsville, Utah
Nevada
- California Trail Interpretive Center – Elko, Nevada
California
- Donner Memorial State Park – Truckee, California
- Donner Memorial Museum – Truckee, California
- Sutter’s Fort – Sacramento, California
The Donner (Reed) Party (Part 1) - S1.E3
Episodes 3 & 4 are a dive into what the hell happened when a group of 80 people in a wagon train tried to take shortcuts, left late, and followed bad advice in 1846-1847. We also delve into the history of what exactly defines cannibalism and when it has occurred in more recent history. As always, we encourage additional reading and exploration if this is a topic that really interests you! Additionally, this content may be disturbing, so skip it and sit tight a couple weeks for when we move onto something less intense.
References/Alternative Sources
A lighter take on the Donner Party: You’re Wrong About
Books:- Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History – by Bill Schutt
- The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny – by Michael Wallis
Nebraska
- Scotts Bluff National Monument/Chimney Rock – Scotts Bluff, Nebraska
Wyoming
- Fort Laramie – Fort Laramie
- Ayers Natural Bridge – Douglas
- National Historic Trails Interpretive Center – Casper
- Independence Rock – Natrona County
- Little Sandy Crossing – Rock Springs
- Fort Bridger
Utah
- Donner-Reed Museum – Grantsville, Utah
Nevada
- California Trail Interpretive Center – Elko, Nevada
California
- Donner Memorial State Park – Truckee, California
- Donner Memorial Museum – Truckee, California
- Sutter’s Fort – Sacramento, California
Body Worlds - S1. E2.
This week we are visiting the 20th and 21st century versions of the anatomical model. Is it ethical? What’s the story? Just HOW do they make them? While we don’t have concrete answers, we ask a lot of questions and naturally share our opinions!
Show Resources:
Exhibitions
Research & News
- NPR Piece: Origins of Exhibited Cadavers Questioned (2006)
- Tales from the Organ Trade (Journeyman Pictures)
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science: “The Hikers”
The Anatomical Venus - S1.E1
In our first episode EVER we delve into some weird wonders hidden in the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy! While stunning, and beautiful in their own ways, these anatomical models had a big influence on the time they were created and into today. Becca tells Laura about her experience seeing them, and why they're important markers of the past and present obsession with anatomy.
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