sunstone-history-podcastTransparency

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.

E92: Getting Freaky on the Frontier: The Story of Mormon Renegade James Emmett

February 10, 2023

Join Lindsay and Bryan as they discuss the insane story of James Emmett, the Council of 50 member who started his own frontier break-off-get-back-together sect during the Mormon exodus. Show …

E91: A Diamond in the Bluff

January 27, 2023

Today we are talking about Council Bluffs and how Mormons ended up there. The episode with Lindsay and Bryan discusses the controversial land trade Mormons made with the federal government …

E90: Winter (Quarters) is Coming

January 13, 2023

We kick off a new season leaving Nauvoo and heading into the great unknown. Join Lindsay and Bryan for a fascinating look at the Mormon journey into Iowa, known as …

E89: Year in Review

December 29, 2022

The Season of Nauvoo is (finally) in the books. Join Bryan and Lindsay as they discuss the year and the new season ahead. Grace

Episode 88: Vilate Kimball and the Nauvoo Temple Mysteries

December 16, 2022

As we wrap up the Nauvoo era of Mormon history, we focus in on a lesser known figure that had a big impact on Mormonism: Vilate Kimball Grace

E87: Sam Goes Brannanas

December 2, 2022

In the beginning, Sam Brannan might have been a loyal Mormon leader, but the glitter of gold and the allurements of the world are about to test his mettle. Join …

E86: The Upper California

November 18, 2022

In this episode, Lindsay and Bryan discuss the Mormons’ first venture heading west: Samuel Brannan’s expedition to the so-called, “Upper California.” Special thanks to Matt Riley for the cameo on …

E85: The Quincy Convention

November 3, 2022

After the death of Joseph Smith, things got even wilder in Nauvoo. Bryan and Lindsay talk about the crazy chaos and sit down with historian Dr. Benjamin Park to unpack …

E84: BONUS EPISODE: Shadow Succession Crisis

November 1, 2022

Remember when Brigham Young disbanded the Relief Society shortly after Joseph Smith’s death? We do. Or do we…? In this long-awaited and teased BONUS episode, Bryan and Lindsay sit down …

E83: BONUS EPISODE: Death of a Founder

October 25, 2022

In this special bonus episode, historian Christopher C. Smith interviews Joseph West about a paper he coauthored with Eric W. Schoon, titled, “From Prophecy to Practice: Mutual Selection Cycles in the …

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.

Lindsay
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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.