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 • 157 episodes
Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told
Latest Episodes
Rescuers in the Shadows: A Milestone, a Mystery Photo, and the Brothers Petroskey
This week, we pull back the curtain on the Eastland disaster’s historiography and bring two overlooked rescuers to the forefront: Great Lakes captains Walter and Emil Petroskey. The Petroskey brothers manned a lifeboat and saved lives when the ...
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Season 4
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Episode 156
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40:31
A Beautiful Magazine and a Missing Hero - Selective History at Work
A glossy company history can sparkle—and still leave a hole big enough to hide a tragedy. We open a 1981 Western Electric centennial magazine that celebrates a century of innovation yet steps neatly over 1915, the year the Eastland capsized by ...
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Season 4
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Episode 155
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28:13
From the Iroquois to the Eastland: One Firefighter, Two Catastrophes
A single obituary opened a door to two of Chicago’s most haunting tragedies: the Iroquois Theatre Fire (1903) and the Eastland Disaster (1915). We trace the life of Charles C. Morgan, a Chicago Fire Department truckman who assisted with both tr...
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Season 4
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Episode 154
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27:37
Checklist History vs. a Life Remembered
Our story opens with a puzzle: an independent researcher uncovers a sparse, single-source biography of an Eastland hero that reads more like a checklist than a life. They reach out to me and pose a challenge, “Surely, there is more to this pers...
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Season 4
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Episode 153
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29:59
A Mourning Veil and a Missing Address — After the Eastland
In this episode, I bring to a close my journey through Edna, His Wife by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Margaret Ayer Barnes, a novel that paints a hauntingly intimate portrait of a family navigating life in the shadow of the 1915 Eastl...
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Season 4
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Episode 152
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32:48
