On this episode of Our American Stories in his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography The First Tycoon The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt T J Stiles tells the dramatic story of Cornelius Commodore Vanderbilt's humble birth during the presidency of George Washington to his death as one of the richest men in American history The Commodore helped to launch the transportation revolution propel the Gold Rush reshape Manhattan invent the modern corporation and create the modern American economy Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories Jack London's most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang both set in the Klondike Gold Rush and so is this story Here to narrate the gripping finale of Jack London's masterpiece To Build a Fire is Roger McGrath Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories no woman figured more prominently on the Yukon and Alaskan frontiers than Belinda Mulrooney She gained international fame as the richest woman in the Klondike and made and lost more than one fortune She became a character in novels and her dog the inspiration for Buck in the Call of the Wild Here to tell the story is Roger McGrath author of Gunfighters Highwaymen and Vigilantes Violence on the Frontier Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories old West historian Roger McGrath is here to tell the story of a time before the world knew Samuel Clemons by his pen name Mark Twain The time he spent in the American West helped Clemens develop a distinctive Western voice and provided him with material that would make him America's first celebrity author Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories John Mackay James Fair William O'Brien and James Flood epitomized the rags-to-riches American dream Roger McGrath author of Gunfighters Highwaymen and Vigilantes is here to tell us the story of the richest mineral discovery in American history the Comstock Lode Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories Jack London's most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang both set in the Klondike Gold Rush as well as his short story To Build a Fire Here to narrate the gripping finale of Jack London's masterpiece To Build a Fire is Roger McGrath Support the show https www ouramericanstories com donate See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories relatively few women went with the initial stampedes to new mineral discoveries throughout the American frontiers None went unescorted to so many remote perilous places as Nellie Cashman or persisted until they were pushing age as Nellie did This is her story as told to us by Roger McGrath Chances are you know what Daisy is Based out of Arkansas but founded in Michigan this company is first of mind when someone mentions B B guns Joe Murfin tells the story of this truly American company Support the show https www ouramericanstories com [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories because of the devastating nature of the attack the U S government chose to keep the details of the HMT Rhona hushed Grove City College PoliSci professor Paul Kengor brings us the details through the eyes of Sergeant Frank Bryer T J Stiles tells the dramatic story of Cornelius Commodore Vanderbilt's humble birth during the presidency of George Washington to his death as one of the richest men in American history The Commodore helped to launch the transportation revolution propel the Gold Rush reshape Manhattan invent the modern corporation and create the modern [... more]

On this episode of Our American Stories David LaBelle's last memory of his mother was seeing her washed away in a raging flood when he was a senior in high school She would never be found It took David years to wrestle with the loss and eventually he decided to write a semi-fictional book about the event called Bridges amp Angels as a therapeutic exercise No woman figured more prominently on the Yukon and Alaskan frontiers than Belinda Mulrooney She gained international fame as the richest woman in the Klondike and made and lost more than one fortune She became [... more]

When gold seeker Edward Jackson set out for California during the Great Gold Rush in the US his diary entry on May lamented his grueling wagon journey marked by disease and death ldquo O do not leave my bones here rdquo he wrote ldquo If possible let them lay at home rdquo Another gold-seeker named John Walker penned ldquo It is the most complete lottery that you can imagine I cannot advise any person to come rdquo Walker in fact returned home and succeeded at farming ranching and state politics When a family member took Walker rsquo s yellowing letters [... more]