The Extreme History Project: The Dirt on the Past

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 a...

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 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...

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!   For more information,   Indigenous Archaeology: American Indian Values and Scientific Pract...

Join us this week as we talk 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, inter-generational wealth inequality, and spatial segregation - all a result of the Jim Crow era that has persisted to the present.    For more information:...

Join us for our fascinating discussion with Stanford scholar, Adrienne Mayor, about her book, The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World. We discuss the realities and myths behind these legendary women recently popularized by the popular Wonder Woman films. We get to the heart of the word, Amazon, discussing its origins. We have a meaningful conversation around Scythi...

Join Nancy and Crystal as they travel back to the ancient world and discuss Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic female figurines and how scholars have interpreted these curvaceous ladies through time. They talk specifically about the male gaze and how this has influenced the way we see these figurines and statues today. They talk specifically about the Venus of Willendorf, the Venus of Malta, Maltese...

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.   To learn more, see the additional resources below.   Tribal Research Specialists Podcast - https://p...

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. In this episode, we have a wide-ranging conversation about the historic Chinese experience and Mark's work to document the long-silenced voices. To...

Join us as we talk 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 10 years, each bringing their own 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 Col...

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 centuries, and the ways in which historical constructions of gender, race, and the human body were foundational to the institutions of slavery and of human rights.

Our latest podcast episode is a timely conversation with Kevin Kooistra as we discuss the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment through the lens of the suffragist, Hazel Hunkins. Hazel grew up in Billings, MT and joined the National Women's Party, led by Alice Paul, as a young woman. Hazel demonstrated with the Silent Sentinels, chaining herself to the White House gates in 1917, for which she wa...

Join us for 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." We cover all things archaeological and why they matter today!

Join the "Dirt on the Past" hosts, Crystal and Nancy, as they discuss mortuary customs through time. From the earliest evidence of human burial ceremonies to historic headstone symbolism. They speak to Scythian burial mounds, Egyptian mummification practices, and the importance of "ghost stories" at this time of year. Join us for our special Halloween/Samhain episode!

In this episode, Dr. Riley Augé, the curator of the University of Montana's Anthropological Collections Facility, discusses her book, "The Archeology of Magic: Gender and Domestic Protection in 17th Century New England". In addition to her book, we discuss other fascinating topics including witch bottles, apotropaic magic, and the Salem witch trials.

Listen to our fascinating discussion on Neanderthal dental morphology with Dr. Shara Bailey. She is a professor and associate chair in the Department of Anthropology at New York University and has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and a book on dental morphology and human evolution.

Join us as we talk with Jill Falcon MacKin about Indigenous Food Sovereignty. Jill is a member of the Anishinaabe: Turtle Mountain Ojibwe, Bear Clan and is dedicated to working for the revitalization of Buffalo Nations' Food Systems, Indigenous food sovereignty, and re-integration of traditional land practices.

Join us as we talk with Tom Rust, a professor at Montana State University Billings, about his new book, "Watching Over Yellowstone: The US Army's Experience in America's First National Park, 1886-1918." We will discuss the book, his thoughts on the symbolism of Yellowstone National Park, and chapter that was left out of the book, and why.

Join us with Dr. Billy Smith as he discusses his project on "Mapping Inequality and Resistance: The Story of Ona Judge and Martha Washington." Ona Judge, the enslaved servant of Martha Washington, escaped from the President's Mansion in Philadelphia to New Hampshire, where she lived the rest of her life free. Dr. Smith uses mapping to explore inequality, resistance, and possible solutions in early...

Welcome to The Dirt on the Past. 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.