Let's Find Out

Have you been digging listening to Let’s Find Out? Then come bring your history questions to an all-ages live taping! We’ve got an amazing panel of speakers coming out to The Needle Vinyl Tavern in Edmonton on March 11: – Dr. Kisha Supernant (Métis Anthropology Professor & Archaeologist) – Dave Cournoyer (Writer/Political Watcher at daveberta.ca) – Sarah Hoyles (Producer behind the Edmonton Ci...

This month, I have something a little different for you. It’s a one-off podcast I did in June 2016 to capture a little taste of the 2016 Edmonton Chinatown Conference. The 2016 Edmonton Chinatown Conference ran from June 11-12 at the University of Alberta. It was a gathering of city planners, business people, history nerds, young artists, folks from Chinatowns in other cities, and just generally E...

This episode: The Great Apartment Caper. Pamela Learmond asks me to help her verify whether her grandpa really had an entire apartment building moved down 97 Street. [Editor’s note: This episode has been slightly edited to remove some personal details]

What has archaeologist Haeden Stewart been digging up in Mill Creek Ravine? I followed him down to the dig site itself. And along the way, I learned about a neighbourhood you might never have known existed, how Edmonton industrialized in the early 20th century, and what caragana can tell you about where to dig.

We found out the name of the building where the Ku Klux Klan published their newspaper, The Liberator, in the 1930s.

Rebecca Jade asks whether we can put a plaque where the KKK used to publish their newspaper in Edmonton – The Liberator. Along the way we learn about the mayor and premier who lent support to the KKK, a fiery picnic, and what the point of a plaque is anyway. The Edmonton Historical Board’s Barbara Hilden helps us figure out whether a plaque is possible.

This episode: The Story of the Sheppard House. Christy Boulter asks what exactly is the story behind her home, and its original owner William Sheppard. Investigating that question gave us a surprising look at booze, the behind-the-scenes machinations around prohibition, and what your dining room says about you.

This episode: The Trustee Enigma. Bashir Mohamed asks whether Edmonton has ever had a black public school trustee. Looking for an answer takes us to the Edmonton Public School Board’s archives, a conversation with a current trustee, and to the centre of the conversation about modern-day racism in Edmonton. This episode contains some explicit language. Full episode information at http://letsfindout...

The first episode of Let’s Find Out, where we take your questions about Edmonton’s history and find out the answer together. This episode: the Snow Goose Case. How did the Snow Goose Festival become the Snow Goose Chase? The answer reveals something fascinating about us, and what we can get used to, and how quickly normal can change. Full episode information at http://letsfindoutpodcast.com.

Episode 0 by Chris Chang-Yen Phillips