Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told
"Flower in the River" podcast, inspired by my book of the same name, explores the 1915 Eastland Disaster in Chicago and its enduring impact, particularly on my family's history. We'll explore the intertwining narratives of others impacted by this tragedy as well, and we'll dive into writing and genealogy and uncover the surprising supernatural elements that surface in family history research. Come along with me on this journey of discovery.
Podcasting since 2023 • 134 episodes
Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told
Latest Episodes
Buried by Omission: The Eastland Victim Who Disappeared
This week we take a deeper dive into the Claims and Libels files (In the Matter of the Petition of St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship Company, Owner of the Steamer Eastland, For Limitation of Liability) preserved in the National Archives Catalog. The...
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Season 4
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Episode 133
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34:08
True Tales from the Eastland: Admiral Rickover Remembers, Survivors Battle for Redress
Admiral Hyman Rickover—father of the nuclear navy and one of the most influential military figures of the 20th century—had a connection to the 1915 Eastland disaster that’s been virtually forgotten. As a 15-year-old Western Union messenger in C...
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Season 4
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Episode 132
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39:14
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Shoeless in Chicago: A Rusyn Teen Hero of the Eastland
At just 17 years old, Peter Hardy stood on a Chicago bridge in 1915, watching the Eastland fill with happy Western Electric employees on their way to a summer picnic. Moments later, the ship rolled onto its side, plunging more than 800 people t...
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Season 4
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Episode 131
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36:43
Erased by a Typo — Meet the Man Who Saved Lives and Legacies
In this episode, I return to Dwight Boyer’s "True Tales of the Great Lakes" and discuss two forgotten heroes of the 1915 Eastland disaster—one remembered correctly, the other erased for more than a century by a newspaper typo that turned my fac...
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Season 4
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Episode 130
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40:08
Honeymoon Interrupted: The Groom Says "I Do" to Disaster
Hidden stories have a way of finding the light. In this fascinating deep dive, we uncover two previously unknown documents that reshape our understanding of the 1915 Eastland disaster that claimed over 800 lives in the Chicago River.The...
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Season 4
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Episode 129
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25:50
