The Dirt On The Past Podcast

Welcome to The Dirt on the Past, podcast of The Extreme History Project. Whether digging up a site or dusting off the archives, we bring you some of the most fascinating and cutting edge research in history and archaeology, and discuss why it matters today. Join co-hosts, Crystal Alegria and Nancy Mahoney as we converse with professionals in the fields of history, archaeology, and anthropology who bring the past…into the present. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening for more . . . Dirt on the Past!

Dr. Jerry Williams

In this episode, we talk with Jerry Williams about a television series he has created called, Bozeman, that features the history of Bozeman’s town founder, John Bozeman and his good friend, William McKinzie. We discuss his research in Georgia and Montana, and how this story plays out on the national stage at a critical time in our country’s history from the 1860s to the 1870s.   

Dr. William Kimbel

Join us as we take a deep dive into the science of human origins with Dr. William Kimbel, Director of the Institute of Human Origins based at Arizona State University. We discuss Dr. Kimbel’s research on human origins, specifically the period between 2.5 and 4 million years ago – during which our own genus Homo emerged from smaller-brained ancestors. 

Nancy Mahoney

Join us this week as Crystal interviews Nancy about her research on the history of archaeology in Montana through the lens of three men including amateur archaeologist Oscar Lewis, academic William Mulloy, and advocate Melville Sayre. We discuss their work to bring archaeology to Montana and the significant archaeological sites they excavated in the 1930s and 1940s, including Pictograph Cave and the Hagan Site. 

Jan Zauha

The Allure of the Archives

Join us for our fascinating conversation with Jan Zauha, Librarian extraordinaire. We discuss the role of libraries in this digital age and how they have changed over time. We dive into the space of archives and talk about issues of accessibility and how these places are becoming more public and welcoming to everyone. We also talk about archival collecting and the push to expand the focus to make it more inclusive. Jan is passionate about her work and her love of learning and her enthusiasm shines through in this conversation. 

Nikki Manning and Kate Gonzales

Urban Archaeology with Nikki Manning and Kate Gonzales

Join us for our conversation with Nikki Manning and Kate Gonzales as we discuss urban archaeology in Missoula, Montana. Kate and Nikki have both been involved in recovering artifacts from a vacant lot in the heart of Missoula’s red-light district through their capacity as graduate students within the Department of Anthropology at The University of Montana. Join us for this fascinating conversation on urban archaeology and the importance of community outreach and education. 

Dr. Shane Doyle

Messages from Medicine Wheel Country with Shane Doyle

Join us as we discuss a myriad of topics with Extreme History Project board member, Shane Doyle. Shane is a member of the Crow Nation and is a life-long educator. He’s a scholar and an activist, working to bring indigenous knowledge to the forefront in every project does. We talk about his involvement with the Anzick archaeological site, the peopling of the Americas and indigenous people in Yellowstone National Park. Join us for this fascinating conversation! 

Laurel Angell

Moving Forward in Conservation by Looking Back
Join us as we talk with Laurel Angell about her research on America’s twentieth century conservation movement and the missed opportunities that led it to become both exclusionary and politically polarizing. Laurel grew up in Yosemite National Park, and has herself worked as a Park Ranger before obtaining a degree in environmental law and working on conservation policy initiatives under the Obama administration. Laurel is currently a doctoral candidate in History at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT and remains active in local and national policy initiatives targeted at creating broader and more inclusive conservation goals. 

Dr. Sara Scott

Join us as we discuss rock art in Montana with archaeologist, Sara Scott. Our conversation revolves around the Hellgate Pictograph Site in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and Pictograph and Ghost Caves, located within Pictograph State Park. We discuss the archaeological context of these rock art sites, how we have come to know more about these important places and the people who used them.

Crystal Alegria and Nancy Mahoney

Extreme History News!

Join Nancy and Crystal as they talk about what’s coming up this summer for The Extreme History Project, the new podcast logo, and upcoming podcast interviews. They also delve into women’s history month and talk about vice districting in the 1890s in relation to red-light districts and prostitution in the west.  

Map of Denver

Redlining the West: The Spatial Geography of Inequity
Click here to listen to our conversation with graduate student, Kerri Clement about her participation in a research project on the persistent spatial structure of inequality in urban neighborhoods, specifically in Denver, Colorado. We discuss redlining, intergenerational wealth inequality, and spatial segregation – all a result of the Jim Crow era that has persisted to the present.

Dr. Joe Watkins

Indigenous Archaeologist, Joe Watkins, on the Past as Present

Join us as we talk with archaeologist Joe Watkins about Indigenous Archaeology and his current role as President of the Society for American Archaeology. We discuss experimental archaeology in the form of building and living in a pit house for a year, his research with the Ainu of Japan, and so much more! 

Diana Hernandez and Dr. Portia Hopkins

Validating Places of History and Memory

Join us for our conversation with Diana Hernández and Dr. Portia Hopkins as we discuss their work through the National Collective Memory Institute to validate and reconcile history of places that have been neglected and undervalued. We focus in on their work to preserve historic sites belonging to communities of color and their mission to develop spaces to reconcile our nation’s past in an effort to rehabilitate our collective memory.

Aaron Brien

Join us for a conversation with Aaron Brien as we discuss his views on Indigenous Archaeology, his life-changing experience viewing historic Apsáalooke/Crow War Shields at Chicago’s Field Museum, his new job as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for the Crow Nation, and so much more.

Crystal Alegria and Nancy Mahoney

Join Crystal and Nancy as they discuss female figurines and statues from the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic and how scholars have interpreted these curvaceous ladies through time.

Adrienne Mayor

Join us as we talk with Dr. Adrienne Mayor about her research on Amazon warrior women across the Ancient world.

Dr. Kathleen Brown

Nasty Wenches, Good Wives, and Foul Bodies

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Dirt on the Past as we speak with Dr. Kathleen Brown about her research on early America. Dr. Brown’s research focuses on the 17th and 18th century, and the ways in which historical constructions of gender and race…of cleanliness…and of the human body were foundational to the institutions of slavery and of human rights.

Shane Doyle, Ian Van Coller, and Craig Lee

High-Altitude Archaeology Collaboration and Friendship

Click here to hear our discussion with Craig Lee, Shane Doyle, and Ian Van Coller about their collaboration and friendship around high-altitude archaeology. They have worked together on many different projects over the past ten years, each bringing their unique perspective to the work. Craig Lee is a high-altitude archaeologist, Shane Doyle is a member of the Apsaalooke Nation and an educator, and Ian Van Coller is a photographer and professor at Montana State University.  

Mark Johnson

History of the Chinese Experience in the West

Join us as we talk with Mark Johnson about his research on Montana’s historic Chinese community. He is working to uncover this important history and present it through a global lens and in the voice of the Chinese people who lived and died in Montana. We have a wide-ranging conversation about the historic Chinese experience and Mark’s work to document these long-silenced voices. 

Crystal Alegria and Nancy Mahoney

Burying the Dead through Time

Click here to join hosts Crystal and Nancy as they discuss traditional mortuary customs through time. From the earliest evidence of human burial ceremony to historic headstone symbolism.

Carl Davis

Six Hundred Generations

Click here to hear our engaging conversation with retired U. S. Forest Service Archaeologist, Carl Davis. We discuss his new book, Six Hundred Generations: An Archaeological History of Montana.

Kevin Kooistra

Hazel Hunkins and the 19th Amendment

Click here to hear our conversation with Kevin Kooistra speaking about the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Hazel Hunkins, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and expanding the historical narrative of the women’s suffrage movement.

Jill Falcon MacKin

Indigenous Food Sovereignty

Click here to hear our discussion with Jill Falcon MacKin on Indigenous Food Sovereignty. 

Dr. Shara Bailey

What Teeth Can Tell Us About Becoming Human

Click here to hear our fascinating discussion on Neanderthal dental morphology with Dr. Shara Bailey from New York University’s Department of Anthropology.

Dr. C. Riley Auge

The Archaeology of Magic

Click here to join us for our discussion with Dr. C. Riley Augé, on her new book, “The Archaeology of Magic: Gender and Domestic Protection in 17th Century New England.”

The Dirt on the Past team, Crystal Alegria, Stephen Durbin, and Nancy Mahoney

Introduction

Click here to hear our introductory podcast featuring Crystal Alegria and Nancy Mahoney discussing the podcast!

Dr. Billy Smith

Mapping Inequality

Click here to hear our interview with Dr. Billy Smith as he discusses his most recent project of “Mapping Inequality and Resistance: a Story of Ona Judge.”

Nancy Mahoney, Dr. Tom Rust, and Crystal Alegria

Watching Over Yellowstone

Click here to hear our interview with Dr. Tom Rust as he discusses his new book, “Watching Over Yellowstone: The US Army’s Experience in America’s First National Park.”

The Dirt on the Past is a collaboration of The Extreme History Project and Gallatin Valley Community Radio, http://www.kgvm.org.