The Stories Your City Forgot

The Stories Your City Forgot

di Justin Mattson

Storia Società e cultura

What is grafitti? With Professor Dale Graden

We all have a different idea of what street art is. For some, it's a way to speak out against injustices, and for others, it's delinquent behavior. How did it get this way? I'm joined by Professor Dale Graden, who breaks down exactly how we got here.

The Atlas of Drowned Towns with Professor Bob Reinhardt

What is a drowned town? Where do they come from? How do we track them and record their history? These are all questions that have answers in this episode of the Stories Your City Forgot.

The Idaho Labor Riots with Dr. Russ Tremayne

What does it look like when miners band together? When the demands of the union are ignored? How does all of that unfold? We explore those questions and more with Dr. Russ Tremanye as we look at the Idaho Labor Riots.

The Murder of Robert Imbrie with Dr. Michael Zirinsky

In the summer of 1924, a diplomat in Tehran was brutally beaten by a mob for not understanding or respecting the culture of the people around him. I'm joined by Dr. Michael Zirinsky, who has studied and written about Imbrie before. Tune into this Story Your City Forgot to hear more about the United States' reactions to the murder of one of its Vice Consuls.

Divided Nation, Divided Rights with Dr. Alexandria Ruble

In divided postwar Germany, the Cold War wasn’t just fought with missiles and spies; it was fought over marriage, motherhood, and who had the right to name their child. Historian Dr. Alexandria Ruble joins host Justin Mattson to discuss her book Entangled Emancipation and the surprising ways women’s rights became a frontline issue in both East and West Germany. From family law to Cold War politics, we explore how gender equality became a tool of ideology — and how ordinary women pushed back against both patriarchal laws and political grandstanding. A story about control, compromise, and the quiet resistance embedded in everyday life.

Idaho’s Global Shadow with Dr. Russ Tremayne

Long before Idaho became a political footnote, one man from the Gem State helped shape global foreign policy. In this episode, historian Russ Tremayne joins host Justin Mattson to trace Borah’s legacy, his contradictions, and the shadow he cast on the generation of Idaho leaders that followed. It’s a story about one senator’s global impact and how a small state helped steer the course of world history.

Banished: The Story of LeRoy Wilkins with Professor Justin Vipperman

LeRoy Wilkins was convicted of a crime no one could prove. Years later, when the state of Idaho finally pardoned him, it added one condition: he could never set foot in Twin Falls County again. In this episode, Justin Mattson and historian Justin Vipperman trace the strange and painful saga of Wilkins’ legal exile, the only case of its kind in Idaho history, and ask what it says about race, justice, and erasure in small-town America.

Where Memory Lives with Emily Fritchman Mahaney

What makes an old building worth saving? And what do we lose when it's gone? In this episode of The Stories Your City Forgot, host Justin Mattson sits down with historian Emily Fritchman Mahaney to explore the quiet power of local architecture, not just grand theaters and iconic facades, but the everyday homes and storefronts that hold a city’s memory. To learn more about the walking tour or to take the tour yourself, you can follow this link!

Legendary Outlaw Diamondfield Jack with Professor Justin Vipperman

It's not every day you get to see someone become an outlaw in real time. What does that process look like? How does one become notorious? How does one create a mythology of oneself? Our guest today brings us the story of one example out of Idaho, and it's a story you don't want to forget.

El Milagro and the West’s Hidden Labor Story With Professor Russ Tremayne

Across the American West, labor camps once teemed with workers brought in to harvest crops, build infrastructure, and support wartime industry. Most of these camps have been erased from public memory—none more so than El Milagro in southern Idaho. In this episode, historian Dr. Russ Tremayne guides us through the complex and often overlooked history of El Milagro, from its origins as a New Deal project to its role in housing Japanese American internees, Mexican braceros, Dust Bowl refugees, and even Jamaican laborers during World War II. We talk about what labor looks like when it’s necessary but unequal, and what’s at stake when the physical traces of history vanish. This was a story your city forgot—until now.

2 di 3