There’s the Mormon history you do know … and the Mormon history you don’t. Join Lindsay Hansen Park (Year of Polygamy) and historian Bryan Buchanan as they gossip about their ancestors and dig into all aspects of Mormonism’s astonishing 200-year past—uncovering the little-known stories that chronicle how a six-person church grew into a multi-billion-dollar religion. Episodes for this podcast are released every other week.
This podcast is heavily researched. For information on sources, and for additional reading for each episode's topic, click here.
Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or stream episodes right here on Sunstone.org.
Episode 112: Wasters and Destroyers
In the early days of the Utah territory, Mormon leaders decided to exterminate anything that got in the way of their plans to build their Kingdom of God. This episode …
Episode 111: Before They Were Famous: Daniel H. Wells
It’s time for another episode of Before They Were Famous. This time we focus on the leader of the Nauvoo Legion, Daniel H. Wells and his role in many massacres …
Episode 110: The State of Deseret
In 1849 the Mormons in Utah territory had big, big plans. Too-big-for-their-britches kinds of plans. They called it the State of Deseret and it didn’t last long, at least in …
Episode 109: Gulls and the Crickets
It’s the worst war in Mormon history: The Cricket War of 1849. Or is it 1851? (Wait, was it grasshoppers?) Lindsay and Bryan discuss the myth behind the famous …
Episode 108: The First Year in the GSL
Alright kids, the pioneers have arrived in Zion. Now what? Lindsay and Bryan talk about their first year in the Great Salt Lake valley. Shownotes: Donate to Sunstone and the …
E107: Brigham vs. Orson in a Quest for Power
In this episode, Bryan and Lindsay discuss Orson Pratt and the reorganization of the First Presidency. Shownotes: Donate to Sunstone and the History Podcast (leave us a note in the …
E106: The Vanguard Comes West
Well, that took forever… But Bryan and Lindsay finally brought the podcast to Zion! This episode covers the story of Brigham Young’s vanguard wagon company as they arrive in the …
E105: Playing the Mormon Trail
Ever played the old PC game The Mormon Trail? Your ancestors played it in real life and this episode discusses what it was like for them. Shownotes: Donate to Sunstone and …
E104: Daily Life in the WQ
What was life like if you were stuck in Winter Quarters? Bryan and Lindsay dig into some of the stories of the women who lived there and what their day-to-day life …
E103: The Donner Party and the Mormons
Many people don’t realize just how many Mormons were part of the fated Donner/Reed tragedy. In this episode, Lindsay and Bryan discuss the horrible tale of travel gone awry. Shownotes: …
About Our Hosts
Lindsay Hansen Park is host of the Year of Polygamy podcast and executive director of the Sunstone Education Foundation. A single-mom of three kids by day, and nerd researcher by night, Lindsay lives in Salt Lake City, Utah where she interacts with hundreds of different restoration branches, Latter-day Saints and Mormon fundamentalists. Her adventures have led her to some of the most isolated fundamentalist compounds in the America West where she interacts with modern day outlaws, inlaws and everything in between. Her goal is to widen the conversation about common and shared heritages within the larger Mormon diaspora.
Bryan Buchanan works at Benchmark Books, surrounded by Mormon history. At night, he herds small children and works on umpteen book projects, some of which might even be published.