Lost Highways - Season 2
March 2020 - January 2021
Season two explores connections between past and current events, whether it's the 1919 Flu Epidemic, the declaration of Martial Law in 1936 to attempt to prevent immigration into Colorado, and comparisons between 19th century and modern day prostitution in Denver. It also touches upon the timeless stories of the nineteen disability rights activists who shut down Denver's city buses for twenty-four hours; the local rancher whose survival of a rattlesnake attack catapulted her into being a 20th century Western icon; and the life and times of Juan Federico "Freddie Freak" Trujillo, a southern Colorado Chicano activist.
Episode 1: Ride or Die
On July 5th, 1978, nineteen disability rights activists blocked multiple buses at one of Denver's busiest intersections, causing a 24-hour traffic jam. Their actions would revolutionize the way we think about accessibility.
Guests: Bob & Renate Conrad | Joe Shapie | Lydia X.Z. Brown | Mary Johnson | Latonya Reeves | John Holland | Anita Cameron | Barry Rosenberg | Robert Dinerstein | Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins | Cynthia Keelan-Chaffins | Ed Neuberg | Paul Hamilton
Transcript from "Ride or Die" podcast
Episode 2: Maybe they Should Call it the Kansas Flu
Colorado had both the highest AND lowest death rates in the country when it came to Spanish Flu in 1918. What can Coloradans today learn from that?
John Allnutt's memories about the 1918 flu can be heard in their entirety on COauthored, History Colorado's podcast featuring some of the most compelling oral histories from our collection.
Guests: Duane Vandenbusche | Derek Everett | Stephen Leonard
Oral Histories: John Allnutt (c. 1968), from the History Colorado oral history collection.
Transcript of "Maybe They Should Call it the Kansas Flu" episode of Lost Highways
Episode 3: Snake, Rattle & Roll
Musician Neyla Pekarek (formerly of the Lumineers), helps tell the legend of Rattlesnake Kate, an early 20th century Western icon who refused to play by the rules. After surviving a rattlesnake attack, Kate earned herself a place in the pantheon of American tall tales.
The music for this episode was by both Earth Control Pill, and Neyla Pekarek, whose album Rattlesnake is out now.
Guests: Peggy Ford Waldo | Neyla Pekarek | Lindsay McNatt
Related Links: First Listen: ‘Perfect Gown’ From Lumineer Neyla Pekarek’s New Solo Outing. Colorado Public Radio. April 12, 2018.
Transcript from "Snake, Rattle, and Roll" podcast
Episode 4: A Line in the Sand
In 1936, Colorado Governor "Big Ed" Johnson declared martial law in an attempt to close the Colorado/New Mexico border. In this episode, we unravel the historical context of this one decision, touching on issues of race, labor, and immigration that speak to the United States' current political moment as well.
Guests: Susan Schulten | Tom Romero | William Wei | Jessica Ordaz
Oral Histories: Interview with Governor Ed C. Johnson (1969) from the History Colorado oral history collection.
Transcript from "A Line in the Sand" podcast
Episode 5: Back Alleys and Backpages
Noel and Tyler explore the complicated stories of sex workers in Denver in the late 1800s by hearing from contemporary sex workers about their own experiences.
Guests: Ann Sneesby-Koch | Liara Roux | Maya Morena | Monica Jones | Stephanie Wahab
Transcript from "Back Alleys and Backpages" podcast
Episode 6: A Tale of Two Communes
Noel and Tyler look back at intentional artist communities Drop City and Libre to understand why one thrived while the other died, and what these two communes might teach us about the balance between freedom and order. (Photo Credit: Dean and Linda's Dome by Roberta Price).
Guests: Bonnie Poucel | Jean-Jacques | Clark Richert | Joanne Bernofsky | Gene Bernofsky | John Curl | Dr. Tim Miller | Linda Fleming | Dean Fleming
Transcript of "A Tale of Two Communes" episode of Lost Highways
Episode 7: Tuned in Dropouts
In 1970, a man named Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche came to the US with the mission of teaching Tibetan Buddhism to Westerners. He enthralled hippies across the country and paved the way for a distinctly American Buddhism. But there was also a "shadow side" to his charisma. On this episode, Noel and Tyler explore the life and times of a beloved teacher who was no stranger to controversy.
Guests: Mark Szpakowski | Brigid Meier | Dr. Holly Gayley | Elizabeth King | Dr. Suzanne Newcombe | Amani King | Matthew Remski
Transcript of "Tuned In Dropouts" episode of Lost Highways
Episode 8: Going Back to Trinidad
On this episode, how Trinidad, Colorado -- an iconic Western mining town along the old Santa Fe trail on the New Mexico border -- became the unlikely location for two pioneers of gender confirmation surgery. Their work would earn Trinidad the now-dated nickname: "the sex change capital of the world."
Guests: Mary Lee Biber | Eric Plemons | Peter Boag | Martin Smith | Susan Stryker | Anne Ogborn | Marci Bowers
Episode 9: The Miseducation of Freddie Freak
Juan Federico Miguel Arguello Trujillo lost his name, his language, and his culture at a Catholic school in Trinidad, Colorado in the 1940s. When he found them again he found himself at the center of some of the most important moments of 20th Century Chicano history.
Freddy’s oral history, which you’ll hear throughout this episode, was recorded at History Colorado’s El Pueblo Museum in Pueblo by our colleague Jose Ortega, a close friend of Freddy’s. You can listen to an extended version of these interviews at one of History Colorado’s other podcasts, CO-Authored, which you can find on iTunes and Google Play.
Guests: Elizabeth Escobedo | Juan Espinosa | Ricardo Lafore | Deborah Espinosa | Nicki Gonzales | Sam Bock | Juan Federico Miguel Arguello Trujillo
Oral History: Juan Federico Miguel Arguello Trujillo