We Always Lie to Strangers: An Ozarks Podcast

Ray's back. An episode about a disaster in southwestern Missouri that features a heavy dose of vexillology talk

Joined by Sharp's younger brother Jake for the conclusion of The Great Rayplacement, a look into the life of Earl Rowland, an Arkansas Ozarks native who was a celebrity in the glory days of aviation

You've heard of Gustober... Welcome to Gune! Gus returns as a guest while the Raycation continues for an episode on Momo, the Missouri Monster. A classic Bigfootesque cryptid from outside of The Ozarks. Also, mystery & excitement breaks out live at the beginning of the episode

Our friend Dick Darden "Fayetteville's Drummer" joins us for a look into legendary early Arkansas football coach Hugo Bezdek. This episode gets real loose and we talk about Fayetteville restaurants a lot

Tanner joins us again as we look at Operation Roadhouse, an official government investigation into if the short-lived annual Truman Reservoir paddlefish snagging season had been compromised by the Russian Mob. We also talk about Cavenders again We have shirts for sale https://waltspodcast.bigcartel.com And a Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/WeAlwaysLietoStrangers

We decided to try doing a Pub Quiz style episode, featuring our friend Tanner from the podcast Beyond the Breakers. Three rounds, covering mascots in The Ozarks (and beyond), classic Ozarks slang and a round that goes over what we've learned over the course of the podcast. It's not an easy one!

A look into several different Viking runestones that have been discovered in Oklahoma, with specific emphasis on the Heavener Runestone. We also touch on the Van Buren Mystery Grave

A look at a strike in Joplin in 1902-1903. We also read emails about some listener perspectives on Ozarks geographical identity. We also just chat, more or less, for the first 10 minutes, but I think there's a handful of things you might want to hear https://waltspodcast.bigcartel.com Podcast shirts are on sale because Sharp bungled the release

Knowing there will not be a regular episode this week, we have recorded a Crime Report on a trout heist at Devito's over the weekend, a popular Italian restaurant near Harrison, Arkansas

We go off-script for this one (something we've been talking about for a while) and each tell a bit about how our families arrived into The Ozarks. Followed up by a longer conversation about Ozarks cultural identity We have some merch waltspodcast.bigcartel.com We have a Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/WeAlwaysLietoStrangers

The story of natural gas tycoon Robert McClure Snyder and Ha Ha Tonka (a lake, a house, a hotel, a state park) in the rural Missouri Ozarks. Lots of chit chat in this episode, just so you know We have a merch store now waltspodcast.bigcartel.com

Just a little episode about recent Arkansas political happenings

The murder of Jonathan Selby in Cane Hill, Arkansas in 1845, and the trial and aftermath

This episode begins with an important message from Gus, before we meander our way through the tale of the Ozark Howler, and make a bunch of claims that are sure to rile up a large amount of our Ozarks-native listeners

The story of Nelson Hackett, a fugitive slave, his trip from Fayetteville to Canada and his extradition back to Arkansas, and his ultimate legacy that is still relevant in modern day Fayetteville

This episode is the post-governorship life of Archibald Yell, through his death and burial(s). Most of the episode takes place in Mexico. Neat!

We return to our governors of Arkansas series by looking into the life of Arkansas's 2nd governor, Archibald Yell. Starting with the life of his father, we make our way from the 18th century Maryland coast to Fayetteville (and Little Rock) in the 1830s

In this episode, Daniel breaks out an old college essay and we look into some of the environmental impacts of Tyson chicken plants in rural Carroll County, Arkansas, and the citizens who took them to court in the 1980s

Featuring a guest appearance (and song debut) by our good friend and podcast theme song composer Just Heath, we discuss the life and legacy of Almeda "Granny" Riddle, a lifelong collector and singer of ballads. Also, five dudes without any real ethnomusicology background try to discuss the lasting influence of folk music in the 20th century. And, just so everyone knows upfront, the jokin...

Previously released on our Patreon, the life story of physicist, academic, comic book publisher, historical preservationist and Tarzan enthusiast Russ Cochran of West Plains, Missouri

A sequel of sorts to our Wonderland Cave episode (44), we look at the planned use of caves in the Ozarks as bomb shelters during the Cold War. Also, a short history of Fantastic Caverns in Springfield, Missouri, and we read a couple of listener emails and reviews

In a podcast first, we conduct an interview. Hope Ray & Jameson Hall are the co-owners of Handshake, a restaurant opening on December 6, 2025 in the Fayetteville Public Library. They tell us their origins, both as people and as business partners, and the pros and cons of opening a private business in a public space, among other things. After the interview, Jameson guests on a standard script a...

This week we talk about Lizzie Rubart Gibson, a woman who received international acclaim for her clay model fruits, used in science classes across the country. We also discuss an old Harrison Boys stomping ground in Pilot('s) Knob. Gus's computer is dying so in case you think something is wrong with your listening device, it's actually on our end. Song at the end was composed and recor...

Sharp and Ray review the wonderful, new book Faith, Family, and Flag: Branson Entertainment and the Idea of America by Joanna Dee Das. This was an earnest (and first) attempt at a book review on the podcast, but it ultimately turned into an extended conversation about Branson, The Ozarks, and how different aspects of culture are viewed from the perspective of the local and the outsider

The life and death of Nimrod Menifee, an early influential white settler into the southern fringes of the Arkansas Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley who was really, really into dueling Song at the end used with permission