The Modern West

The Modern West shares: Our Uncertain Future, an off gridding podcast

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0000

This time on the show, we share an episode from another podcast called Our Uncertain Future. It’s produced by Johanna DeBiase and Eric Mack, the couple we met in our last bonus episode called “An Apocalyptic American Dream.” Johanna and Eric and their teenage daughter live in a strawbale house in the no man’s land of the Mesa, a few miles west of Taos, New Mexico. They’ve been documenting the reasons they’ve chosen this life, and in this episode, they celebrate six years of off gridding.

The Apocalyptic American Dream: A Cheap Dirt Bonus Episode

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0000

A visit to a family living in a straw bale house on the Mesa outside Taos, New Mexico. They say they’re feeling less stressed about the chaos of the world because living off grid has given them survival skills. And they delve into the lurid history of how this subdivision turned into a no man’s land in the first place.

Outlawland

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0000

The story of one family who lived off grid in a yurt for years in the no man’s land of the Mesa outside Taos, New Mexico. Now that her kids are all grown, Janelle has come full circle. She bought some land and a new yurt and re-adopted this life in her 50’s.

Abide By The Land

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Celeste and Gary Havener seem to have a perfect homesteading story: the horses, the garden, the honeybees, an amazing mountain view from every window. But theirs is actually a cautionary tale of enduring cancer, COVID and multiple forest fires. At 70, they almost gave up the life. But then they realized they were surrounded by support.

The Flats

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 07:00:00 -0000

We talk with Pulitzer finalist Ted Conover about his book Cheap Land, Colorado: Off Gridders On America’s Edge. Ted bought land in an area outside of Alamosa where he and his neighbors lived off grid with few social safety nets. His take away? It’s a difficult life with incredible views and intense poverty. But you can find lifelong friends and experience a special sense of liberation.

Charismatic People

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:00:00 -0000

Paul Menjares moved to Frisco, Colorado to live the good life as a musician. But when his landlords kept canceling his leases to turn his apartments into short term rentals, he made a crazy decision. He moved into his car. That was three years ago. Now he’s the manager of a program helping other people do the same thing.

Many Hands Make Light Work

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:00:00 -0000

When a U.S. Forest Service worker gets fired by DOGE, she’s left scrambling to find a place to live while she finishes building her straw bale house. Luckily, she has lots of friends who not only let her couchsurf, but help with the house raising. It’s an old fashioned approach to affordable housing that’s catching on.

Cheap Dirt: Holiday Pause Update

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Howdy Cheap Dirt fans! We will be taking a pause this holiday and resuming on January 7th with a new episode.

The Teeny Tiny House

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0000

People in the American West love tiny houses. But, come to find out, per square foot they cost almost 40% more than a regular house. Eric and Erica found a way to get one on the cheap – by winning one in an auction! But are tiny houses really an affordable housing solution, when you try to scale up?

Embrace the Suck

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0000

We usually think of full time RVers as retirees. But these days, over half are Millennials and Gen Zers. And way more people are adopting the RV life. Including a house builder who doesn’t have a house of his own. Instead he lives in his RV on the edge of Wyoming’s Big Hollow. He says, off gridding isn’t for the faint of heart.

The American Spirit

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 07:00:00 -0000

We journey into the Red Desert of southwest Wyoming to visit a trona mine worker building his dream cabin off grid for the two small children he’s raising alone. He had to buy extra solar panels for his daughter’s medical equipment and the cabin includes an apartment where she can live with him when she grows up. He says it’s all part of his American dream.

The Reluctant Pioneers

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0000

You’ve probably seen viral videos on social media about how quaint it is to live an off-grid life. But these videos belie something more problematic going on beneath the surface. An affordable housing crisis that’s affecting the working and middle class more all the time. Eight of the ten states with the least affordable housing are in the American West. And that’s causing lots of resilient westerners to get creative about their living situations. Including Host Melodie Edwards who shares her own story of living off grid in a canvas dome in a no man’s land in northern Arizona.

Cheap Dirt: The Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Cheap Dirt: The Trailer

A Ghost Paper(ing) Update: Part II

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Two conversations about Wyoming's news ecosystem: one with Cali O'Hare, the editor of the Pinedale Roundup and a roundtable discussion with Solution Journalism's Melissa Cassutt and WyoFile's Rod Miller.

A Ghost Paper(ing) Update: Part I

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0000

In early August, a media company that owned dozens of newspapers across the region suddenly collapsed. It forced eight Wyoming papers to shut down their presses. The outcry statewide was immediate. But a week later the owners of the Buffalo Bulletin stepped forward with one other investor and offered to buy all eight and keep them publishing. We talk to the husband/wife news team.

Reviving Rural America -- A Modern West Bonus

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Reviving Rural America -- A Modern West Bonus

I Am What I Choose To Become

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Five years ago, a Northern Arapaho judge was sent to prison. Now, she helps keep Wind River residents from going back into custody through a unique justice program. Her clients say, "She can relate to everything: the prison system, the probation system, being an addict, everything. Her story inspires me so much."

The Modern West presents Those Who Can't Teach Anymore Season 2

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0000

This time, an episode from another podcast we care a lot about. It’s called Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore, produced by Charles Fournier, the former sound designer of the Modern West. (To illustrate just what a back scratching industry podcasting is, Melodie happens to be the editor of this podcast as well.) Charles dives into what’s causing public school teachers to leave the profession. We'll hear episode one of his second season in which he collected audio journals through one full school year from teachers across the country. He starts at the beginning, in August.

Wasting Away

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Hop in a pickup as we head out into the National Elk Refuge outside Jackson, WY to hear all about the debate over whether to wean elk off winter feeding before chronic wasting disease strikes.

Home Again

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Back in the 1930’s, a trading post swapped Northern Arapaho artifacts for food and other basic necessities. Decades later, a descendent opened boxes in a storage room of the Episcopal Church in Laramie, Wyoming. There, she found a photo of her grandfather, Chief Yellow Calf.“And so I talked to my grandfather, and I said, 'Grandfather, is there something that I'm supposed to do here? Show me. Guide me.'”80 years later, the church has finally returned the artifacts to the tribe. We attend the ceremony.

Ghost Paper(ing)

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 21 May 2025 06:00:00 -0000

The local newspaper, the Pinedale Roundup, didn't break the wolf torture story. Why not? Because last winter, News Media Corporation that now owns the paper laid off everyone at the paper except the editor, Cali O'Hare, to run the entire show by herself. It’s part of the corporate consolidation of local news. There’s now a national effort to stop these legacy papers from becoming “ghost papers." One woman's story of running a paper in the middle of breaking international news.

Boys, Booze & Wolves

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 07 May 2025 06:00:00 -0000

It’s been a year since a man brought an injured wolf into a bar in Sublette County, Wyoming. What does it tell us about how small-town life is changing? A very personal story from the perspective of someone who grew up there.

The Pretty Good House

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

People are solving the affordable housing shortage in the American West by building unusual homes like straw bale or modular.

A Pluralistic Mindset (with author Samuel Western)

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Wyoming author and economist Samuel Western is a master at tracing back the beginnings of issues in the American West. He’s an economist with a deep fascination for history and culture that get at “the gray in between” in truly revelatory ways. He talks with host Melodie Edwards about his new book The Spirit of 1889.

Gray In Between Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 06:00:00 -0000

Join us for a brand new season full of nuance, where we move closer to the heart of matters and hear the voices of those who understand them the best. Catch episode one of The Gray In Between coming to you every other Wednesday starting April 9th.

We Are Remarkable Creatures

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0000

For westerners, watching the fires burn through Los Angeles in the middle of winter feels like deja vu. It was only four years ago that the Marshall Fire raged through the town of Louisville, outside Boulder, Colorado. That fire is now considered the most costly fire in Colorado history. But that deja vu is especially acute for those who survived the Marshall Fire. Like Ariel Lavery’s family. An update from our 2023 season The Burn Scar.

The Modern West presents: United By Fire Episode 1

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Wildfires are getting closer and closer to home. A new podcast by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science asks some really good questions about our relationship to fire in the American West. Like, can we learn to coexist with fire in the West? United By Fire explores our relationship with the land amid rapidly changing wildfire behavior in a world that’s burning hotter and faster than ever.

Neighbor is a Verb

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 07:00:00 -0000

Some think the cowboy has gone riding off into the sunset, never to return. But in our final episode, we hear stories of resilience and community pride. We return to Antonito, CO to hear how Aaron Abeyta started a school there to teach children that success doesn’t mean fleeing your hometown. It means staying to celebrate the unique heritage of the community.

Slow Waters Run Deep

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 07:30:14 -0000

Wyoming helped develop western water law, including the very idea that public waters belong to all of us. But the state’s reluctance to update its laws has left ranchers scrambling to protect their streams and wells, as drought and water hoarding make water scarcer than ever.

A Promise Never To Plow

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 07:00:00 -0000

A few years ago, the May family set off on a trailblazing path to protect their land, and the carbon it stores, by selling carbon credits on the global market. By promising to never plow the land, the Mays store carbon and protect native wildlife. But with diminishing margins and the looming threat of fire, the road hasn’t been easy.

Only One Bite

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0000

The Rardins are father and son cowboys watching climate change threaten their way of life. They’ve given up on the old idea of “get big or get out” and joined the regenerative ranching movement. Inspired by how bison improve the land, they raise cattle to protect grasses and reduce emissions. But for many, it's still a financial risk.

The Ranch Kid

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Ranchers are having a really hard time these days. They’ve got more drought, more conflict, expensive land, high rates of suicide, just to name a few. But this fall the University of Wyoming launched a new agricultural leadership degree. The goal is to re-envision the rancher of the future. This summer, a Wyoming kid named Ethan Mills became the first registered student in the program. We tag along as he attends a ranch camp.

Big is Fragile

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0000

We follow the cow’s journey from the mountain pasture to the feedlot and eventually the slaughterhouse. Along the way, we hear from animal welfare advocate Temple Grandin and cattle handlers who all want a fairer, more humane market – and one not so monopolized by large corporations.

Nothing Heals

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 06:00:00 -0000

We head to Wyoming’s Red Desert - and hear the history of the 19th century range wars. They led to laws requiring grazing fees and regular land health check-ups. But over a century later, some say these regulations haven’t done enough to protect our wild spaces. Not to mention our climate.

Cows = Civilization

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000

The history of how we brought the pastoral cow to live on the arid lands of the west is a violent one. Jim Elliot grew up in the shadow of that history and his stories are quintessential cowboy, full of guns, death and hard winters. But even Jim recognized the tragedy of the attempted annihilation of Indigenous culture and bison to make way for cows. But now, there’s growing hope among tribes as bison make a comeback.

Se Benefician De Ella

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0000

The Abeyta family has been driving sheep down from the mountains of southern Colorado for generations. But it hasn’t been easy to keep that tradition alive – they’ve had to fight for it. Through their eyes, we trace back the beginnings of the cowboy to the Mexican vaquero and find out how those adventurous roots are still very much alive in the American southwest.

The Rolling Stone: Bonus 2 of The Great Individualist Reboot

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0000

The Rolling Stone: The Modern West is re-sharing our ranching series The Great Individualist. This time, we explore our deep abiding love for the cowboy. "If you get out there and bust your butt taking care of cows and even putting up hay, it’s so rewarding. I can get on a saddle horse and ride all day." But how that infatuation sometimes gets us in trouble.

The Rancher of the Future: Bonus 1 of The Great Individualist Reboot

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:14:05 -0000

We're back with a new season of Modern West. Listen to the first episode of The Great Individualist Reboot now!

Great Individualist Reboot Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0000

It's a new season of the Great Individualist - new episode premieres on August 21st.

The Suffragist In The Basement

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Wyoming is known as the “equality state” because it was the first in the nation to pass women’s suffrage. And for decades it’s proudly recognized that history with a statue of Esther Hobart Morris, Wyoming's first Justice of the Peace and a vocal participant in the women's suffrage movement. But that statue is no longer standing in front of the Wyoming state capitol.

One Size Does Not Fit All - Part Six of High Altitude Tales

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Meet Iva, an innovative teacher conducting scientific research with her middle schoolers on the Wind River Reservation. They even set up trail cameras!

It's the final episode of High Altitude Tales.

The Tamers and the Tamed - Part Five of High Altitude Tales

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 29 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Recidivism rates in the U.S. are some of the highest in the world, and in Wyoming, 33 percent of inmates are back in prison within the first year. But studies show that animal therapy can help reduce that by teaching things like responsibility, nonviolence and empathy. Most programs pair inmates with dogs. But Wyoming has a special program – one of only five in the country – that teaches inmates how to tame wild horses.

Chasing the Dragon - Part Four of High Altitude Tales

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 15 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

In the resort town of Jackson Hole, WY, the housing shortage is so bad that people are finding crazy workarounds for how to live there. Like this guy, living in his van. "It’s cold when you come back. And then the issue is, like, all your water freezes and all your stuff is frozen. And trying to dry ski stuff or anything like that it’s a pain - but once the heaters are goin it gets crankin' in here!"

Wolves #2101 and #2301- Part Three of High Altitude Tales

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 01 May 2024 06:00:00 -0000

The story of two wolves in Colorado’s North Park, a father and a son, and how the community is – or is not – coming to terms with their presence.

"Wolves represent a lot of what farming and ranching is about, which is like, you have no control ultimately."

Wolves #2101 and #2301: episode 3 of our series High Altitude Tales.

The Sixth Boom - Part Two of High Altitude Tales

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Take a bike ride into a tiny forgotten historic mining town that sits at the intersection of two beloved through trails. For hardcore bikers and hikers, this town is an oasis. And for a community used to cycles of boom and bust, there's hope this boom could last.

Courage is a Muscle - Part One of High Altitude Tales

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Exactly 100 years to the day after a woman named Eleanor Davis became the first recorded woman to ever climb the Grand Teton – a nearly 14,000 foot-tall mountain that’s the namesake for Grand Teton National Park – an all-female group of climbers is summiting the peak to celebrate her legacy. Hannah Habermann tagged along for the adventure.

High Altitude Tales Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0000

Miss us? We're back for Season 8 of The Modern West - High Altitude Tales. High Altitude Tales drops on April 3rd on all of your favorite streaming platforms.

Urban Wildfires: a Burn Scar Bonus

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 07:00:00 -0000

“In Paradise, what the fire didn't take was the sense of community that exists there. Our mission was, ‘look how far we've come, and it’s a vision to the future.”

Our Imperfect Human Selves

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Ariel makes the trip out to see the new construction of her family home. But it’s nothing like the one that burned down in the Marshall Fire. Her feeling of solastalgia is long gone.

A Desirable Neighborhood

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0000

Ariel’s family and neighbors are starting to rebuild after the Marshall Fire destroyed their homes. But now new green building codes are making it super expensive. Ariel’s brother is dubious.

The Burn Scar: Bonus Episode

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Listen to a behind-the-scenes conversation with The Burn Scar’s producer Ariel Lavery and The Modern West host Melodie Edwards. Ariel says the idea for the series came to her in the shower. “I just needed to record this. I just needed to somehow remember the feelings of visiting the site, being there.”

Our Safe Place

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Ariel’s neighbors all want to know what caused the Marshall Fire. Then a new forensic report comes out, confirming climate change isn’t at the door…it just burned the door down.

#OurSafePlace Part III of #TheBurnScar

Solastalgia

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Ariel returns to see the burn scar that was once her childhood home. She feels strangely…homesick. “Imagining one’s home place meet its end – envisioning just what this neighborhood looked like engulfed in flames – I wonder if this is all part of the feeling of solastalgia.”

The Winter Fire

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 07:00:00 -0000

It’s the most expensive fire in Colorado History. Listen now.

The Burn Scar Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 15:28:36 -0000

The Marshall Fire was the most expensive fire in Colorado history. The Burn Scar is a tender yet carefully investigated podcast of one family, one fire and the hard choices people are making in the wake of increasing natural disasters. Hear the trailer now.

Bison Stories: A Conversation With Ken Burns - Part 4

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Filmmaker Ken Burns just released a new series called American Buffalo and The Modern West sat down to talk to him about it. He says it’s a very new direction for him. “This is a project we’ve been thinking about for more than 30 years – a biography of an animal.”

Bison Stories: Bringing Home the Buffalo - Part 3

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0000

We’re re-sharing all of our bison episodes in preparation for the release of the new Ken Burns film, The American Buffalo! In Part III, we journey to the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana to learn why tribes there are rescuing wild Yellowstone bison… and we experience a bison release ceremony.

Bison Stories: Bringing Home the Buffalo - Part 2

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Did you know documentarian Ken Burns is coming out with a film on the American buffalo? I’m going to share my interview with him in a few weeks. Meanwhile, we’re re-releasing all of our bison episodes! In Part II: why American settlers chose to wipe out the bison and replace them with cattle.

Bison Stories: Bringing Home the Buffalo - Part 1

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Bringing Home the Buffalo…part one of our mini series Bison Stories. Find it under podcasts at wyomingpublicmedia.org.

Bonus: On Land Podcast from Western Landowners Alliance

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 21:00:17 -0000

You might remember this daunting statistic from our season on ranching: the American West is facing its biggest drought in 1200 years. This special episode from the On Land podcast is all about solutions to that water crisis. Geologist Caroline Nash joins for a conversation about building resilience in times of uncertainty, how restoring beavers to our Western landscapes could help with watershed restoration, and the ways landowners across the West are experimenting with innovative land management practices.

Bonus Episode 3: A Conversation with Lakota Historian Jeff Means

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0000

As you might have noticed from previous episodes, Jeff is a committed skeptic. But still, I decide to start by asking Jeff, does he believe healing this history is even possible?

Existence As Protest: Mending the Hoop Part 8

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0000

I wanted to be part of contributing to identify healing interventions for our community. And also sharing with people that knowledge, like, it's not all your fault.

Land Back: Mending the Hoop Part 7

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0000

It’s popular these days to read a land acknowledgement at public events, but Indigenous leaders and thinkers say that should only be the beginning — “a commitment that should be followed by action.” Like, returning the land itself.

Bonus Episode 2: A Conversation with Lakota Historian Jeff Means

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Jeff and I pick up the conversation today where our last one left off. As the 19th century came to a close, the United States may have stopped direct battle with the Plains nations… but the war was far from over. As Native communities were forced onto reservations, the U.S. now used new techniques to attempt cultural genocide … alienating children from their communities at boarding schools and exterminating the bison. Throughout the conversation, Jeff points out the ways Indigenous communities continue to demonstrate a pride in their identities that the U.S. government tried to erase.

#MMIW: Mending the Hoop Part 6

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 31 May 2023 06:00:00 -0000

Native American women are the most stalked, raped, murdered and exploited of any other race in this country.

Rematriation: Mending the Hoop Part 5

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 10 May 2023 16:11:45 -0000

That's the identity for our tribe is our buffalo. So they are our relatives. I always cry when they come. It's always really emotional when they come home. Because I believe that's going to heal our people.

Killing The Indian Inside: Mending the Hoop Part 4

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 06:01:00 -0000

This time on the Modern West…to make sure the Plains Indian Wars don’t flare up again, the U.S. army starts taking hostages…the tribes’ children. If they ran away, where would they go? They're 1000s of miles away from home. It was strategic on their part. It really isolated them. Killing the Indian Inside…it’s part four of our series Mending the Hoop.

Bonus Episode: A Conversation with Lakota Historian Jeff Means

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 18:00:00 -0000

It seemed important to share some of the behind the scenes conversations for this series. As a white woman reporting on Indian Country, Melodie always knew she would need extra guidance putting this season together. So she’s been regularly sitting down to talk with Oglala Lakota member and Native American historian Jeff Means to discuss best practices.

The Broken Hoop: Mending the Hoop Part 3

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 18:00:00 -0000

The Plains Tribes continue their winning streak at the Rosebud and Little Bighorn fights. But it only leads the federal government to crack down harder. Soon, many tribal leaders surrender and, in despair, take their people to live on tiny reservations. Then along comes a new ceremony: the Ghost Dance. And that changes the dynamics of the war drastically.

The War Pipe: Mending the Hoop Part 2

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 07:00:30 -0000

After the massacre, the survivors flee into the bitter cold night and eventually are rescued by the Lakota. The tribes form a great alliance and decide war is justified. And so, in the months after Sand Creek, what ensues is a series of battles that shocks and awes the U.S. army. Never before have they witnessed the full might of the greatest mounted horsemen in the world.

The Witness Trees: Mending the Hoop Part 1

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 22:00:00 -0000

For the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes, the Sand Creek Massacre of November 29, 1864 doesn’t feel like distant history at all. That’s the day that the Colorado cavalry tortured and killed over 200 people, mostly women, children, and elderly – one of the worst atrocities in U.S. history. To the tribes, it feels like there’s still a lot of healing to do. And so, these days, they’re working to do just that.

Mending the Hoop Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Recently, you may have noticed a lot of big news coming out of Indigenous America, from protests at Standing Rock to the return of wild bison to efforts to bring home ancestral remains and artifacts. But when you talk to the movers and shakers, the conversation often comes back around to a bitter history – the Plains Indian Wars. This season we hear the story from the point of view of the Plains tribes themselves. We discover how raw that story still is, and yet how communities are coming together to heal it.

Bonus: Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

A few seasons back, we had a series called Cowboy Up that dug into the juvenile justice system in Wyoming. If you liked thinking about education in the west, you’re going to love this. We are sharing an episode from the podcast Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore, produced by one of our very own, Charles Fournier. This is a narrative podcast series that takes a look at why teachers are leaving education and what can be done to stop the exodus.

In this episode, we’ll hear from Charles’ wife, Jennie and two other former teachers about why they left teaching. From struggles with mental health, to low pay, to a lack of autonomy in the classroom - they give insight into why we are losing good teachers across the country. This episode sets the stage for the series, which will take you through the history, pop-culture, and politics of education.

Bonus: Reframing Rural

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 07:31:00 -0000

For all you Modern West fans who love our last season about ranching and the cowboy mythos in the American West, have we got a treat for you. We’re going to share an episode from our good pals at the podcast Reframing Rural. It’s now in the middle of its third season “Groundwork,” and they’ve been sharing stories about host Megan Torgerson’s family farm as well as the widening wealth gap in Montana…think towns like Bozeman and Missoula. This episode we’re going to hear about Jeanie Alderson, a fourth-generation Montana rancher and the co-owner of Omega Beef. In the '70s, Jeanie’s parents were among the rural organizers to form the Northern Plains Resource Council. Today, Jeanie continues the council's work standing up for family ranches by fighting against the "Big Four" meatpacking monopoly that's dictating prices and forcing some ranchers out of business.

Revising the Wilderness Tale

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 07:01:00 -0000

This time on The Modern West, we join an 1896 hunting expedition to America’s first national park. The journey reveals cracks in our concepts of Yellowstone, a place entangled with violence toward the Indigenous people who long took care of the region.

The Great Dying: Revisited

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 22:01:04 -0000

November is Native American Heritage Month…and in recognition, we thought we’d re-release the first episode of our third season “Shall Furnish Medicine.” In it, we connected the dots between the spread of European diseases among Indigenous communities when Europeans first arrived and we examined what that history of genocide meant when the COVID-19 pandemic struck home in Native communities. This episode, “The Great Dying,” recently won a couple of big awards – a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for best news documentary and a national Public Media Journalism Association award for best long documentary. Kudos to reporters Savannah Maher and Taylar Stagner! Hope you enjoy!

The Great Individualist Bonus Episode

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 23:32:37 -0000

It's very important when you introduce a new technology, to make sure early adopters don't fail. And I want virtual fencing to work. It’s a bonus episode! Binge the whole season of the Great Individualist now. Find the Modern West under podcasts at wyomingpublicmedia.org. Sponsored by the Lor Foundation. Listen at themodernwest.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Neighbor Is A Verb: The Great Individualist Part 9

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Slow Waters Run Deep: The Great Individualist Part 8

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Bonus: Out There

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

If Out There isn’t already on your radar, it should be. It’s an award-winning show that uses stories about the outdoors to help you make sense of your life and your world. Just like the Modern West, Out There gets up close and personal, but at the same time, each of its episodes invites you to think big, exploring deeper questions that matter to all of us. In this episode, Out There explores something on a lot of our minds this time of year: wildfires.

Becky Jensen had given herself the perfect present for her 50th birthday: a two-week solo backpacking trip. But when she emerged from the trail, she learned that a wildfire had started near her home in northern Colorado. Her house might already be gone.

Becky takes us from the tranquility of the San Juan mountains to a cramped basement where she waited out her evacuation, and explores the difficult process of finding a sense of peace, when a natural disaster threatens everything you’ve built.

A Promise Never To Plow: The Great Individualist Part 7

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Only One Bite: The Great Individualist Part 6

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 20:56:41 -0000

The Rardins are father and son cowboys watching climate change threaten their way of life. They've given up on the old idea of "get big or get out" and joined the regenerative ranching movement. Inspired by how bison improve the land, they raise cattle to protect grasses and reduce emissions. But for many, it's still a financial risk.

Big Is Fragile: The Great Individualist Part 5

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0000

We follow the cow's journey from the mountain pasture to the feedlot and eventually the slaughterhouse. Along the way, we hear from animal welfare advocate Temple Grandin and cattle handlers who all want a fairer, more humane market – and one not so monopolized by large corporations.

Bonus: Middle of Everywhere

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000

The Modern West brings you heartfelt stories about poignant issues happening today in the rural west. A lot of these issues are also felt in other rural communities, across the country. Today we take you to the foothills of the lush Appalachian Mountains in East Tennessee. There you’ll meet people who lost their way of life when a federal agency decided to take their land and flood their rich river valley, burying beneath the water much of our country’s early history, including many sacred Cherokee sites, and threatening an endangered species. This was all done in the name of progress.

From our good friends at the award-winning podcast Middle of Everywhere, with WKMS in Kentucky, this is The Story of Tanasi, the first of a five-part series following a decades-long battle that took the river’s people all the way to the Supreme Court as they tried to save their way of life in the Little Tennessee River Valley. In this first part, called The Birth of a River, you’ll hear a history of the river valley, and learn about the cultural significance and importance of the river to the Cherokee Nation.

Nothing Heals: The Great Individualist Part 4

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000

This time, we head to Wyoming's Red Desert - and hear the history of the 19th-century range wars. They led to laws requiring grazing fees and regular land health check-ups. But over a century later, some say these regulations haven't done enough to protect our wild spaces. Not to mention our climate.

Cows = Civilization: The Great Individualist Part 3

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0000

The history of how we brought the pastoral cow to live on the arid lands of the West is a violent one. Jim Elliot grew up in the shadow of that history and his stories are quintessential cowboy, full of guns, death and hard winters. But even Jim recognized the tragedy of the attempted annihilation of Indigenous culture and bison to make way for cows. But now, there's growing hope among tribes as bison make a comeback.

Se Benefician De Ella: The Great Individualist Part 2

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 25 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000

The Abeyta family has been driving sheep down from the mountains of southern Colorado for generations. But it hasn't been easy to keep that tradition alive – they've had to fight for it. Through their eyes, we trace back the beginnings of the cowboy to the Mexican vaquero and find out how those adventurous roots are still very much alive in the American southwest.

The Rolling Stone: The Great Individualist Part 1

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 11 May 2022 08:00:00 -0000

For the Elliot family, there isn't just one kind of cowboy. There are guys like Jake who chase the idea of the rodeo star, never sinking roots, a rolling stone. And then there's Jim, the hardworking and intimidating rancher. In this episode, we bust some myths about what it means to be a "real" cowboy and whether ranching ever measures up to our American ideals.

The Great Individualist Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0000

The cowboy roaming horseback across the American West is nearly inextricable from what it means to be American. But in reality, most beef is raised out East where there's more grass, and only a tiny fraction of the economy in the West comes from cattle. Now a new generation of ranchers is working to reinvent this iconic way of life to fit a modern world.

Heavy To One, Light To Many: Cowboy Up Part 3

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Fifteen-year-old Kate just lost her mom. On top of that, her learning disabilities are making it hard to go to school. She's missed so much that the school says she might get sent away to a residential treatment center hundreds of miles away. But her grandparents are fighting hard for their right to keep her home.

Caught In The Current: Cowboy Up Part 2

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 07:00:00 -0000

In Rock Springs, Wyoming, we follow the treacherous paths of two young women. Larissa endures one trauma after another and soon finds herself unable to escape a cycle of probation and incarceration. Another kid, Jess, endures racism and bullying and seems headed down the same road. The system fails them both, but Jess's story takes a turn when she lucks out with a new teacher. But Mr. Baker says kids shouldn't have to rely on good luck.

Stranger On The Side Of The Road: Cowboy Up Part 1

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 07:00:00 -0000

In 1892, Wyoming hosts its first execution and it's a teenage boy named Kansas Charley. His trial causes a big national debate: is Charley a hardened criminal or a neglected child? It's a question we still haven't answered in the American West, where children are incarcerated in greater numbers than anywhere else. We also hear from a modern-day Kansas Charley who's living out his days in Wyoming's prisons who says, growing up, no one ever asked him the simple question: do you need help?

Cowboy Up Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Everyone likes to say that there's no better place to grow up than in the Rocky Mountains. Building snow forts, riding your bike everywhere, learning how to find your way out of the woods when you're lost. But for kids having a hard time, no one's handing them a map and compass. In Wyoming, kids are incarcerated and dying of suicide at higher rates than anywhere else. Longtime education reporter Tennessee Watson started to wonder if all this had to do with the "cowboy up" attitude we take toward child-rearing in the American West. A three-part series coming January 5th.

We're Still Here: Shall Furnish Medicine Part 3

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0000

When COVID-19 arrives on reservation borders, tribes aren't sure if their newly minted health care programs can hold up against the onslaught. The fear is that this is history happening all over again. But the two tribes on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming decide early to roll up their sleeves–literally–in a fight for the very survival of their tribal identity.

Enough Is Enough: Shall Furnish Medicine Part 2

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0000

It's the late 1800s. With no government help in sight, Omaha citizen Dr. Susan LaFlesche is determined to bring health care to her tribe. Decades later, the U.S. still hasn't gotten around to fulfilling its treaty promise to furnish medicine. So, tribes find a way to take over their health care system, and a quiet social movement is born.

The Great Dying: Shall Furnish Medicine Part 1

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0000

For Native Americans, the story of pandemics started the moment European colonizers stepped foot off their ships. Savannah Maher's tribe the Mashpee Wampanoag experienced that first Great Dying. Arapaho and Shoshone descendant Taylar Stagner tells the history of how those diseases came West as a form of biological warfare.

Shall Furnish Medicine Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Reservations have been some of the hardest-hit communities in the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, for Native Americans, this all feels awfully familiar...the arrival of a terrible illness that kills elders while the federal government does little to stop it. But this time, tribes know what to do. Coming September 29, we'll bring you a three-part series we're calling Shall Furnish Medicine, tracing that devastating history from its beginnings.

Bonus: Reframing Rural

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 26 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

If you loved our Ghost Town(ing) series, check out Reframing Rural. Host Megan Torgerson takes you to her Montana homeland and introduces us to all sorts of people we usually don’t hear from. Like in this episode, where high school history teacher and Chippewa descendent Eddie Hentges talks about the challenges of teaching in a small town.

Bonus: Carbon Valley Part 1

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Fri, 07 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

We're hard at work on our next season but, while you're waiting, we wanted to share Carbon Valley, another podcast from Wyoming Public Media that follows the race to develop an unlikely climate solution.

Bonus: Reversing Ghost Town(ing)

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0000

In the process of reporting on rural decline, we discovered an underground movement of people thinking hard about how to help small towns revitalize. We partnered with the Rural America Chamber of Commerce to host a live virtual event, bringing some of these problem-solvers together. The result was an inspiring and clear-eyed conversation. In this episode, we bring you the highlights.

My Modern West: From Surviving To Thriving

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0000

From the nurse who moved back to Walden, to the foreign diplomat who grew up in Nebraska, from the ranch kid who's seen the wealthy moving in, to the Asian-American daughter remembering her father's migration to the great American West. Listeners react to Ghost Town(ing) with their stories.

The Fine Art Of Coexisting: Ghost Town(ing) Part 12

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 07:00:00 -0000

In the final chapter of Ghost Town(ing), host Melodie Edwards revisits her parents' decision about whether to move away from Walden. Her mom has been trying to lure her dad away with all sorts of stratagems. But there's a lot about the craziness of 2020 that entrenched him even deeper.

Small Town Democracy: Ghost Town(ing) Part 11

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Small town politics has a lot to teach us about how fragile democracy is right now. In Walden, we sit in on a beautification committee meeting and see how hard it is to make change happen--and how rural struggles are reflected in American democracy writ large.

Mountains In The Rearview Mirror: Ghost Town(ing) Part 10

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0000

The out-migration of rural youth is one of America’s great migrations--even the history books are calling it that. Younger generations leave because they have a need to feel connected to the great, big world out there. And as that world becomes more connected through the internet, small towns like Walden feel even more isolated. But would they come home if there was more equality in rural broadband?

Immigrations, Interrupted: Ghost Town(ing) Part 9

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Right now, the West is struggling to diversify its economy. But would our economy have already been diversified if a greater diversity of people had been allowed to make their homes here? How the history of racial erasure has hurt small towns, and how welcoming newcomers could turn that around.

A Tale Of Two Towns: Ghost Town(ing) Part 8

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Some former Southern enslaved people and their descendants followed the American dream westward, where they created towns to homestead together. This is a tale of two of those towns—on either side of the Wyoming-Colorado border—and what today's small towns now can learn from their stories.

Bonus: Stranger In A Strange Land

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0000

We're on a short holiday break, so here's the first part of a podcast called Grouse, a show about the most controversial bird in the West and what it can teach us about hope, compromise and life in rural America.

The Garden On The Prairie: Ghost Town(ing) Part 7

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Many places in the American West are becoming food deserts, where it's hard to get healthy food. Sometimes that's because people can't afford it or because it means driving long distances. And for really isolated places, sometimes it's because of both. Now, a group of ladies in Wyoming's struggling coal country are working on a plan to solve hunger there.

The Doctor In The Screen: Ghost Town(ing) Part 6

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0000

Living in a pandemic doesn't have many plus sides to it. But there is one bright side for rural America. Telehealth is finally getting to flex its muscles. But adjusting to technology isn't easy for older patients, and that's one thing small towns have lots of: senior citizens. So, we take a trip to Sheridan, Wyoming to see how well telehealth is working for veteran Ron Loporto.

Gabby's Story: Ghost Town(ing) Part 5

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0000

The rural West has been seeing a steeper and steeper decline into despair, especially among white men. But when a Vietnam vet's mental breakdown threatens the safety of Walden, the small town has a response that neighborhoods everywhere could learn from.

The Environmental Billionaire: Ghost Town(ing) Part 4

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 07:00:00 -0000

2020 feels apocalyptic. It's not just the pandemic; there's also drought, mega-fires, melting glaciers. Meanwhile, the ultra-wealthy are stockpiling land, buying up small family ranches across the Mountain West. It makes you wonder, is it really a good idea to put that much environmental control in the hands of so few?

Meet Your Neighbor: A Conversation About The Rural West And The 2020 Election

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Part 4 of our Ghost Town(ing) series is in the works, coming out next week. But while you’re waiting, here's a way that you can get your voice in on the conversation about the state of the rural West.

A Stranger Comes To Town: Ghost Town(ing) Part 3

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0000

The West has long been a haven for the ultra-wealthy. Sometimes, they move into small towns with the aim of revitalizing them. But in Walden, Colorado, one wealthy businessman’s plans went awry, with dire consequences for the community.

Bust Town: Ghost Town(ing) Part 2

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Why are we so fascinated by old ghost towns? And what can they teach us? We go looking for the ghosts of an old silver mining community called Teller City to see if they have any lessons for how the nearby town of Walden, Colorado can keep from falling into the same cycles of boom and bust.

"You Can’t Eat The View": Ghost Town(ing) Part 1

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Years ago, small towns like Walden, Colorado were vibrant. Street dances, a health food store, a movie theatre, the works. At least, that's how host Melodie Edwards remembers it from her childhood. Now it's shrinking, part of the "ghost towning" of the American West. But can communities like Walden find a way to survive? Or will Melodie's parents be forced to move away, like so many others?

Season 2: Ghost Town(ing) Trailer

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0000

They say those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. So what can Old West ghost towns teach us about today's shrinking rural towns? Starting September 16, we'll take you to the windswept prairie where towns once stood and to new ghost towns in the making. We're exploring rural decline and resilience, and asking, why does it matter if America's small towns disappear?

The Small-Town Drag Queen

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0000

It wasn’t easy growing up queer in small-town Wyoming. And when Taylar went to college in Laramie, an assault left her in pieces…until she found community with Giselle and the Dragonettes. Follow them as they head to the big city for a David Bowie drag competition.

A Walk Across The Prairie

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 06:00:00 -0000

When Emily Chen-Newton moved to Nebraska, she was worried she’d miss her Kentucky mountains. But then she walked a long section of the new Great Plains Trail and realized her new home was a more magical place than she gave it credit for. And not so flat either.

The Rancher And The Wild

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0000

Albert Sommers is a rancher who thought he'd seen it all. When he found a mysteriously dead calf, he started wondering: how wild should our wild places be?

Coming Soon To A Feed Near You...

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0000

A preview of our summer mini-season: three episodes that take you deep into the real West to meet people thinking hard about the future of this place. Predators, prairie, and pots of glitter.

Episode 10: The Widower

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 07:00:46 -0000

Bob was devastated when his wife died of cancer. He’d been her main caregiver, and afterward, he realized that now he had to face his old age alone. No kids, no family nearby. And living in the West, he started worrying about how inaccessible senior care could be. That’s when his gallows humor took over. (more…)

Episode 9: What You’re Missing About Coal Country

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 07:00:06 -0000

Once upon a time, coal miners took pride in the hard work they did. But these days the coal industry is sluggish and miners are feeling left behind—even disrespected—by the world. What they want most now is to just figure out how to hold on to the strong community that coal once gave them. (more…)

Episode 8: The Man From Lodge Grass

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 07:00:53 -0000

Quincy Dabney loved growing up in Lodge Grass on the Crow Reservation in Montana. But then, just like him, it started falling apart. Now Quincy is working to save the hometown that saved him. (more…)

Episode 7: Bringing The Buffalo Home

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 20:23:59 -0000

It’s been over a century since the U.S. government exterminated bison from the Great Plains as a way to win the war against the Native American tribes there. But now reservations across the West are working to bring them back. (more…)

Episode 6: The Next Yellowstone

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:48:00 -0000

Imagine Congress agreeing to create national forests and wildlife refuges these days. Probably wouldn’t happen. So when a billionaire realized a large swath of the Great Plains needed special protections he decided to do it himself, without the government’s help. His dream is for a new kind of privately-owned national park–one as expansive as Yellowstone.

(more…)

Episode 5: Belonging

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 06:00:43 -0000

Young people from Gen Z are moving to cities around the West. But in doing so, they’re also out-migrating from rural hometowns in places like Wyoming and New Mexico. Conversations between young people about why they leave and why they stay. (more…)

Episode 4: The Midwife

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 21:46:58 -0000

Most births are uncomplicated. So in rural areas where hospitals are shutting down, women want to give birth at home. Now, states across the country are legalizing and regulating midwifery so they can. This is the story of one rural state, one midwife, and one brand-new mama. (more…)

Episode 3: Adult-Onset Hunting

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:00:25 -0000

The number of Americans hunting and fishing is declining, but women are bucking the trend. Host Melodie Edwards finds a sisterhood at an all-women hunting camp—and catches her first fish with her dad. (more…)

Episode 2: Both/Neither

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 06:00:03 -0000

The U.S. government only allows Native Americans to register with one tribe. But what happens when two tribes share one reservation for over a century? Two women grapple with how that affected their identity growing up. (more…)

Episode 1: Carpetbagger

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 00:00:51 -0000

You ask around, and people can’t agree on a quintessential Wyoming writer. And if you can’t identify the literature of a place, you can’t define the place. Authors including CJ Box and Craig Johnson weigh in. (more…)

Season 1 Preview

arader1@uwyo.edu (Wyoming Public Media) — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 22:22:38 -0000

The Modern West is getting a reboot! New host, new theme music, and brand-new stories just for this podcast. Season 1 starts September 17. (more…)