Beauties vs Beasties: The Mute Swan and Sea Lamprey Story (awesome alternate title)

On this week's episode, Cassidy is joined by Ovya Venkat to tell the complicated story of two problematic species. How did they get to Michigan? What damage have they done? How do we fix it? And who is to blame? Stay tuned for both a history lesson, and a conversation about humans' role in the ecosystem.

Where is the line between playing our part and playing God?

Follow us on Instagram for more Michigan history @michigistory

For story ideas, advertisement inquiries, questions (or compliments), email cassidy@bigmittenmedia.com

If you're team swan, show it by rating the show 5-stars

If you're team lamprey, show it by rating the show 5-stars

If you're a fish-kicker, show it by rating the show 5-stars

Before there was "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot, there was "1913 Massacre" by Woody Guthrie.

A song about one of the biggest catastrophes in Michigan history.

On this week's episode, Cassidy is joined by Logan to discuss The Italian Hall Disaster, and the 73 people who lost their lives fleeing a fabricated threat. This episode details the difficult lives and working conditions of early copper miners in the Keweenaw, and the infamously deadly Copper County strike of 1913-1914. And stay tuned for the lesser-known story of the Seeberville Murders.

Follow us on Instagram for updates and video clips from the show @michigistory

For story ideas, advertisement inquiries, or questions, email cassidy@bigmittenmedia.com

And if you read this far down, then I wish you the happiest of holidays and peace in the new year.

And perhaps you could grant my wish of rating the show 5 stars...

During The Civil War, a unit of 139 Native American sharpshooters from Michigan formed Company K to fight alongside the Union.

Their story is worthy of a movie.

But until that happens, here's an episode of Michigistory.

This week, Cassidy is joined once again by brilliant Native American historian Eric Hemenway. Come for the incredible stories of Company K's major battles, prison camp experiences, and survived maritime disasters, and stay for discussion of the big question:

Why did they do it?

Why did these 139 Native men suddenly decide to fight alongside the very same men with whom they'd been in constant battle with for generations?

Follow along on Instagram for video clips of the show and other Michigan history @michigistory

For any story ideas, advertisement inquiries, questions (or compliments), email cassidy@bigmittenmedia.com

If you've read this far down then you must be pretty invested, so you may as well do us both a favor and rate the show 5-stars. Otherwise reading this far down was a waste of time, and you seem like someone whose time is valuable...

WARNING: After listening to this episode, you will be the smartest person at Thanksgiving. Is that a responsibility you're ready to take on?

If so, then join Cassidy and Logan in learning all about the history of Detroit's beloved Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the longstanding tradition that is the Lions Thanksgiving Day game. Other topics include Detroit's legendary department store Hudson's, World War II, The NFL, and a brief rant about the historical significance of video.

Speaking of which, here's a link to a short video of Detroit's first ever Thanksgiving Day parade in 1924. It's awesome.

J.L. Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Vacation Footage (c. 1924)

Follow along on Instagram for show updates and video clips @michigistory

For any story ideas, advertisement inquiries, questions (or compliments), email cassidy@bigmittenmedia.com

And if you're a Lions fan, make sure to rate the show 5-stars!

But if you're a Packers fan, then make sure to only rate the show 5-stars.

What's the point? And how to they work? And are they actually important? And what about Millard Fillmore (said nobody ever)

On this week's episode, Cassidy is joined by dear friend and Sault Ste. Marie resident Molly Engelman to talk about the rich history of one of the America's most valuable pieces of infrastructure- The Soo Locks. But on account of former U.S. President Millard Fillmore, the episode takes a pretty dramatic turn about halfway through. You'll just have to listen to find out what that means. Tune in to hear everything you've ever wanted to know about the Soo Locks, and a whole lot more too.

Follow along on Instagram for video clips of this episode @michigistory

For any story ideas, advertisement inquiries, questions (or information on Millard Fillmore), email cassidy@bigmittenmedia.com

For a free "Lock City" t-shirt, rate the show 5-stars

To opt out of the free "Lock City" t-shirt, be sure to rate the show 5-stars

Why do we teach history?

"So we don't repeat the past," is probably what popped into your head.

By that logic, if we're teaching history correctly, then we should never make the same mistake twice.

And yet, some headlines today look all too familiar.

What does this say about the state of our history education?

Today's episode is part 1 of a series in which Cassidy, and Native American historian Eric Hemenway, aim to dissect the state of Native American history education.

Why do we know what we know, and why don't we know what we don't know?

In today's episode, they start at the beginning, in the one-room schoolhouse where Eric began his educational career. Tune in to hear about Eric's early schooling in the small community of Cross Village, and how his relationship with education changed after transferring into a much larger public school.

For videos of the beautiful one-room schoolhouse (and the adorable Sammy), check out our Instagram @michigistory

For any story pitches, advertisement inquiries, questions (or compliments), email cassidy@bigmittenmedia.com

And if you're still reading, it must mean you're a real fan of the show, because no one reads down this far. And maybe just to prove that you're a real fan, you could go rate the show 5-stars. That would be epic.

A cool fall morning in late October, is when the podcast began, at a public library in Wexford County, where the Manistee River ran. *insert keyboard*

On this week's extra special Halloween episode, Cassidy is joined by Dogman enthusiast Ally Beshouri Pekrul to talk about Michigan's favorite cryptid. Tune in to hear the story behind the legendary Dogman song, as well as personal accounts, a biologist's perspective, the Wendigo connection, and the value of folktales in today's world.

Check out video clips from the show on our Instagram, @michigistory

For any story ideas, advertisement inquiries, questions (or compliments), email cassidy@bigmittenmedia.com

To enter for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid exclusive one-on-one private dinner with The Michigan Dogman, all you have to do is leave this show a 5-star review. And for an extra entry, send it to a friend and force them to review it too.

Yeah, as in the cereal. But this is not an episode about cereal.

This week, Cassidy tells you the unbelievably fantastical story of John Harvey and William Kellogg. Honestly, you should go in blind. But if you want a sneak peak, keep reading.

This episode touches on everything from germ theory to 7th Day Adventism to "masturbation cures" to *eventually* cereal. Tune in to learn about the birth of modern medicine, along with the strange treatments that were prescribed to patients of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in his luxury medical spa in Battle Creek, Michigan. And stick around to hear the fate of John Harvey's younger brother, William, who spent the majority of his life in the shadow of his eccentric brother.

Check out clips from the show on Instagram, @michigistory

For any story ideas, advertisement inquiries, questions (or compliments), email cassidy@bigmittenmedia.com

If you survived this episode, please prove it by leaving a 5-star review.

And if you hated this episode, the best way to let us know is by leaving us a 5-star review (cuz on a scale from 1-5, 5 is the worst)