History Unhinged: Rainy Day Rabbit Holes

The Wild West wasn’t all shootouts and saloons—it also had brothels where life, death, and legends collided. Some of those stories never left.

In this episode, Shea and Jody take you inside two infamous houses of ill repute:

• The Birdcage Theater, Tombstone, Arizona – 26 deaths, bullet holes in the walls, and a love triangle that turned into a ghost story still whispered today.
• The Red Onion Saloon, Skagway, Alaska – where miners, madams, and a lingering ghost named Lydia turned a gold rush brothel into one of the most haunted stops in Alaska.

Along the way, the hosts debate where they’d haunt if stuck for eternity, spill some spicy legends, and prove once again that history is never as tidy as it looks on paper.

Grab your whiskey, dim the lights, and follow us down the rabbit hole… if you dare.

In 1899, a massive four-masted iron ship called the Andelana vanished from Tacoma’s Commencement Bay overnight — leaving behind only a pair of floating logs and a haunting legacy.

In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, Shea and Jody are joined by Tacoma historian and tour guide Chris Staudinger of Pretty Gritty Tours to unravel the chilling mystery of Tacoma’s “ghost ship.” From tales of curses and unlucky sailors to divers who met their doom, the Andelana’s story is one of tragedy, unanswered questions, and eerie persistence.

But the ship’s curse doesn’t stop with its sinking. The legend ties into eerie paranormal accounts — including the infamous tale of an eyeless ghost girl said to wander Tacoma’s historic streets. Along the way, we explore the city’s haunted history, connections to human trafficking, and the way folklore preserves Tacoma’s darker past.

If you love ghost stories, maritime mysteries, and local legends that linger in the shadows, this is one you won’t want to miss.

🎧 Listen now and join us on this haunting journey through Tacoma’s waterfront.

We've made our bonus episode with Chris available to everybody for FREE on Patreon!

Beneath the quiet farmlands of Arkansas, a single dropped tool set off a chain of events that could have changed history forever. In this episode, Shea and Jody take you deep underground into the Titan II missile program — the Cold War’s most volatile secret. What happens when human error meets doomsday weapons? And how close did we really come to nuclear apocalypse in 1980?

Strap in. This rabbit hole goes from darkly funny to downright terrifying.

Silver mines, brothels that ran until the 1990s, a highway battle that saved a whole town, and a firefighting hero who invented one of the most iconic tools in history. Wallace, Idaho has it all. In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, Jody takes us through the quirky, fiery, scandal-filled history of Wallace, a town that declared itself the Center of the Universe, and you can’t disprove it.

Grab your pickaxe (or Pulaski tool), because we’re heading down a rabbit hole where mining strikes, infernos, and bordellos collide in the Silver Valley.

Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome to Wallace, Idaho
04:22 – Colonel Wallace and the shady land deal
09:51 – Silver mines and strikes that shook the valley
15:35 – Fires that burned Wallace down twice
21:44 – The legend of Ed Pulaski and the Big Burn
33:10 – Brothels, nightlife, and the Oasis Bordello Museum
40:55 – How Wallace beat the federal government and I-90
50:30 – Declaring Wallace the Center of the Universe
57:00 – Why Wallace is worth your road trip stop

A river is the most powerful force in nature—and blocking one is the boldest act a human can attempt. In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, we dive into the colossal story of the Grand Coulee Dam: a project born in the desperation of the Great Depression, built with sweat and sacrifice, and shadowed by broken promises.

From Hoovervilles to hydroelectric power, boomtown brothels to Woody Guthrie ballads, and even the secret connection between the dam and the atomic bomb, this is history at its most epic and unsettling. We’ll explore the triumphs, tragedies, and the question that lingers today: who really paid the price for progress?

✨ And don’t miss the end of the episode—we’ve got a brand new piece of Patreon fan fiction, starring one of our amazing supporters!

💡 If you like your history wild, weird, and a little unhinged, you’re in the right place.

Today, we are proud to present an episode by one of our fabulous Umbrella Podcast Collective members-Rob of Dark History. You've heard us talk about the Portland Shanghai Tunnels before, now go even deeper. Check it out!

In this gripping episode of The Dark History Podcast, we dive deep into one of the most chilling and overlooked forms of human trafficking in history: shanghaiing. From the mid-1800s to the early 20th century, thousands of men were abducted from port cities like Portland, San Francisco, and Liverpool—drugged, beaten, or tricked into signing forged contracts, only to wake up trapped aboard ships bound for Asia.

This wasn’t just the work of shady criminals in back alleys. It was a full-blown industry. Crimps, saloon keepers, hotel owners, and even police officers played their part, all for a quick payout. Some victims were lured by the promise of work or a warm bed. Others were dropped through trapdoors into underground tunnels and chained in holding cells until a ship was ready. Few escaped. Most were never seen again.

You’ll hear the real names behind the crimes, like the notorious “Bunko” Kelly, who once claimed to have sold a ship a crew of corpses. We'll uncover how this brutal system thrived in plain sight for decades, and how changing laws, technology, and public outrage eventually brought it down.

This isn’t the maritime adventure story you’ve been told. It’s about organised trafficking, greed, and the silent suffering of thousands who were stolen from familiar streets and forced into a life at sea. The legacy of shanghaiing lives on in the sealed trapdoors and forgotten tunnels beneath modern cities.

If you're fascinated by the dark undercurrents of history—the parts that rarely make it into textbooks—this episode is a must-listen.

In March 1876, the skies opened above Bath County, Kentucky… and instead of rain, meat fell from the heavens. Was it a divine miracle, a bizarre prank, or an avian puke-fest courtesy of startled vultures? Shea and Jody dig into one of history’s strangest mysteries—the infamous Kentucky Meat Shower.

Chapters:

• 0:00 – Welcome to Rainy day rabbit holes where we take the history of the west off the rails
  00:20 – Today we are covering a meteorological event. Precipitation. Don't you wish we could time travel
  01:17 – Carrie Thompson: I've never made soap. Have you
  05:08 – There are several theories about what caused meat to rain in 1800s
  09:16 – After 150 years, no one has figured out definitively what this is
  10:57 – Did anyone ever get sick from the 1876 Kentucky meat shower
  13:50 – We appreciate the support of our patrons more than you could know
  15:31 – All of our Apple reviews, subscribers and statistics got lost recently

Silly Summer Season: The CIA’s Bonkers Spy Cat – Project Acoustic Kitty

In this delightfully absurd Silly Summer Season episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, Jody takes us down the rabbit hole of one of the strangest Cold War experiments you’ve never heard of—Project Acoustic Kitty.

In the 1960s, the CIA actually spent millions of taxpayer dollars trying to turn a real, living cat into a stealthy spy. The plan? Surgically implant a microphone, radio transmitter, and antenna into an adorable feline operative to eavesdrop on Soviet conversations.

From top-secret surgery to a very short-lived field mission, this story has everything—government overconfidence, questionable ethics, and one very confused kitty. Shea and Jody can barely keep it together as they imagine what could possibly go wrong with strapping espionage gear to a cat.

Grab a cool drink, settle in, and enjoy one of the most ridiculous espionage stories in history. This is Cold War absurdity at its finest.

A huge thank you to our amazing Patreons—you’re the reason we get to keep chasing these ridiculous and fascinating stories.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen—it really helps other curious minds find us.

Normally, this kind of jaw-dropping rabbit hole is reserved just for our Patreon supporters—but today, we’re unlocking it for everyone.

In 1968, Irishman Mick Meaney decided to let himself be buried alive for 61 days in a Guinness record stunt that captured international attention…and caused his pregnant wife to find out via the radio. In this bonus episode, Shea welcomes special guest Kevin Ryan, host of Tyrant in Training Podcast and a fellow member of our Umbrella Podcast Collective, to explore:

• The surprisingly popular 1960s fad of human burial endurance contests
• The bizarre safety coffins that people invented to avoid being buried alive by accident
• Edgar Allan Poe’s stories—and real-life fears—of premature burial
• The transatlantic rivalry with Texan “Living Corpse” Bill White
• And how Mick Meaney’s stunt became a moment of Irish legend

🎧 This is the kind of fascinating, darkly funny story our Patreon supporters get access to every month. If you enjoy it, we’d love to have you join the community!

💸 Special Offer:

Get 20% off your first month on Patreon through the end of July with promo code SUMMERFUN20.

Unlock more bonus episodes, early access, and exclusive content:

Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: Silly Summer Season — Napoleon vs. The Bunny Apocalypse

In this episode, we travel back to 1807, when Napoleon Bonaparte, the conqueror of Europe and master tactician, faced the most humiliating defeat of his career — at the paws of a swarm of ravenous rabbits. We explore how a grand hunting party meant to celebrate his triumph turned into slapstick chaos, why the bunnies charged, and whether this story was an elaborate piece of historical trolling.

Topics Covered:

• The aftermath of the Treaty of Tilsit
• Napoleon’s love of grand gestures
• Alexandre Berthier’s ill-fated event planning
• The possibly hangry domesticated rabbits
• Paul Thiebault’s rivalry and the murky origins of the story
• What it all means for the myth of invincibility

Resources & Further Reading:

In this final installment of our three-part conversation with filmmaker, lawyer, and legend-level storyteller Steve Edmiston, we’re diving deep into the most unhinged festival in the Pacific Northwest: the Men In Black Birthday Bash!

We cover:

👽 The wild origin story of the bash

🐶 The heroic tale of Sparky the Dog and the upcoming disc dog tournament

👑 Drag queens, trivia, and SNL-worthy cosplay

🎟️ All the details you need to show up and how to win FREE tickets and exclusive swag!

This episode is part party preview, part UFO-lore love letter, and part official field guide for all things MIBBBFest. If you’re into aliens, oddities, or just need an excuse to dress in all black and scream-laugh at a trivia night — this one’s for you.

🎁 GIVEAWAY INFO:

We’re giving away:

• 2 pairs of tickets to the Maury Island Incident screening + Drag Queen Trivia on June 20
• 2 pairs of tickets to the MIBBB Main Event on June 21
• 2 MIBBB swag bags full of exclusive alien-approved goodies

🕛 Deadline: Midnight, June 13!

• 00:00 Welcome Back & Bash Teasers
• 10:30 FBI Takes Over UFO Investigation
• 22:15 Agent Jack Wilcox: The First Mulder
• 35:45 Crisman: Sociopath or Storyteller?
• 52:00 Military Secrets vs. UFOs
• 1:05:20 Industrial Waste Theories
• 1:18:00 Future Film & Series Ideas
• 1:25:00 The (Very Real) Struggles of Podcasting

• 00:00 – Intro: We’re in the desert, baby
• 03:50 – The First Sighting: Ghost or monster?
• 09:12 – Panic Spreads: Red Ghost hysteria
• 14:03 – Stranger Details Emerge
• 21:45 – Government Shenanigans
• 28:00 – What Was It, Really?
• 34:12 – Outro & Rabbit Hole Reflections