Way Back When

Keep up with the latest Big Blend Radio episodes of Way Back When, our signature show exploring history, heritage and the stories behind places.

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The Quarter Queen: A Mother-Daughter Voodoo Story

Southeast USA

Oct 14, 2026

The Quarter Queen: A Mother-Daughter Voodoo Story

Author Kayla Hardy on Marie Laveau, Ree, and Power in 1840s New Orleans

Parks & Recreation

+10

Oct 11, 2026

Ninety Six National Historic Site

A Star Fort, a Revolutionary War Siege, and Where to Eat and Stay in South Carolina's Old 96 District

100 Men Hall: Music, History & Community in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Southeast USA

+11

Oct 6, 2026

100 Men Hall: Music, History & Community in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Rachel Dangermond on Preserving a Chitlin' Circuit Landmark Along Amtrak's Mardi Gras Train Route

Thomas Jefferson Survives: What Jefferson Can Still Teach Us at America 250

Non-Fiction Library

Sep 23, 2026

Thomas Jefferson Survives: What Jefferson Can Still Teach Us at America 250

Historian Francis D. Cogliano on Jefferson's complicated legacy, "the earth belongs to the living," and why every generation has to solve its own problems.

Yellowstone: America's First National Park, Still Wild After 110 Years

Parks & Travel

+10

Sep 15, 2026

Yellowstone: America's First National Park, Still Wild After 110 Years

Travel writer Lisa Evans takes us to Yellowstone National Park — Old Faithful, bison jams, Grand Prismatic, and a candid conversation about why respecting the wildlife is what keeps it wild.

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Southeast USA

Sep 13, 2026

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

A Revolutionary Battlefield, Southern Charm, and Where to Eat in Greensboro, NC

Christy Wood

Sep 12, 2026

The Chief Joseph Trail Ride

An annual conversation with World Champion horse trainer Christy Wood, tracing the Nez Perce National Historic Trail on horseback

Getting to Know Phyllis Bitner - Miners Hall Museum & the Jefferson Highway

Meet the Experts

Aug 27, 2026

Getting to Know Phyllis Bitner - Miners Hall Museum & the Jefferson Highway

Phyllis Bitner shares Franklin, Kansas's coal mining and immigrant history, the Page 618 Walking Dragline project, and life along the Jefferson Highway.

History Comes Alive at the Civil War Battle Reenactment in Gettysburg

Big Blend Radio

Aug 25, 2026

History Comes Alive at the Civil War Battle Reenactment in Gettysburg

From wool uniforms in the summer heat to a packed-house Civil War medicine demonstration, Debbie Stone relives the 163rd Gettysburg Battle Reenactment.

Libraries Beneath the Sand: Racing Al Qaeda to Save Timbuktu's Ancient Manuscripts

Big Blend Radio

Aug 24, 2026

Libraries Beneath the Sand: Racing Al Qaeda to Save Timbuktu's Ancient Manuscripts

James Michael Dorsey returns to Before They Vanish with the covert mission to rescue Timbuktu's manuscript libraries

A Dickens Tour of England: From Portsmouth to Poets' Corner

Art & Entertainment

Aug 22, 2026

A Dickens Tour of England: From Portsmouth to Poets' Corner

Glynn Burrows on the real Charles Dickens — and the English towns that still tell his story.

Cody, Wyoming: Western Art, Cowboy Culture & the Old West

Big Blend Radio

Aug 18, 2026

Cody, Wyoming: Western Art, Cowboy Culture & the Old West

Beyond the Gateway to Yellowstone: History, Frontier Heritage, Native Culture, and Living Western Art Come Alive in Cody

Cruising France's Gascony Region: Farm-to-Table Luxury on the Rosa Barge

Rose Palmer

Aug 13, 2026

Cruising France's Gascony Region: Farm-to-Table Luxury on the Rosa Barge

Rose Palmer explores medieval villages, cheese farms, and Michelin-level meals aboard a six-guest hotel barge through France's breadbasket

Reclaiming History: The Epic Saga of Enheduanna, the World’s First Named Author with Ellen Rachlin

Women Making History

Aug 12, 2026

Reclaiming History: The Epic Saga of Enheduanna, the World’s First Named Author with Ellen Rachlin

Behind the historical fantasy that unearths a powerful ancient high priestess from the sands of Mesopotamia.

The National Hotel – Oklahoma City’s Historic Art Deco Gem

Guest House

Aug 11, 2026

The National Hotel – Oklahoma City’s Historic Art Deco Gem

Step inside the $290 million restoration of a 1931 landmark with Travel Journalist Terri Guthrie, exploring luxury guest rooms, a subterranean vault bar, and premier dining.

Victoria, British Columbia: A City That Rewards Slowing Down

Wanderers Compass

Aug 10, 2026

Victoria, British Columbia: A City That Rewards Slowing Down

From Butchart Gardens to Craigdarroch Castle, why this harbor city has a way of getting under your skin

Way Back When

The Quarter Queen: A Mother-Daughter Voodoo Story

Ninety Six National Historic Site

100 Men Hall: Music, History & Community in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Thomas Jefferson Survives: What Jefferson Can Still Teach Us at America 250

Yellowstone: America's First National Park, Still Wild After 110 Years

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

The Chief Joseph Trail Ride

Getting to Know Phyllis Bitner - Miners Hall Museum & the Jefferson Highway

History Comes Alive at the Civil War Battle Reenactment in Gettysburg

Libraries Beneath the Sand: Racing Al Qaeda to Save Timbuktu's Ancient Manuscripts

A Dickens Tour of England: From Portsmouth to Poets' Corner

Cody, Wyoming: Western Art, Cowboy Culture & the Old West

Cruising France's Gascony Region: Farm-to-Table Luxury on the Rosa Barge

Reclaiming History: The Epic Saga of Enheduanna, the World’s First Named Author with Ellen Rachlin

The National Hotel – Oklahoma City’s Historic Art Deco Gem

Victoria, British Columbia: A City That Rewards Slowing Down

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