Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: History Unhinged

Snake Oil, Opium Eaters, and the Original Wellness Grifters
What do nineteenth-century snake oil salesmen, opium-laced medicines, and today's wellness trends have in common?
More than you might think.
In this special crossover episode, Shea from Rainy Day Rabbit Holes joins forces with historian Kenyon Payne, host of the Outcasts of the Earth Podcast, to explore the fascinating and often bizarre world of patent medicines, miracle cures, and the people who made fortunes selling hope in a bottle.
Shea uncovers the story of Clark Stanley, the legendary "Rattlesnake King" whose famous snake oil liniment helped turn the phrase snake oil salesman into a permanent part of the English language. Along the way, she reveals the surprising truth about real snake oil, why it actually worked, and how clever marketing transformed a legitimate remedy into one of history's most famous scams.
Then Kenyon zooms out to examine the rise of opium eating in the Victorian era. From laudanum and patent medicines to Civil War-era morphine addiction, she traces how nineteenth-century society wrestled with dependency, regulation, and the growing realization that not every miracle cure was as miraculous as advertised.
Together, they discuss:
The real origins of snake oil medicine
Why Chinese water snake oil actually had medicinal value
Clark Stanley's rise from cowboy showman to national celebrity
The role of advertising in selling miracle cures
Opium eating and laudanum use in Victorian society
How addiction was understood in the nineteenth century
The Civil War's role in America's first opioid crisis
The birth of drug regulation and the FDA
Why human beings keep falling for miracle cures
Fact vs. Folklore
Fact: Traditional Chinese snake oil was rich in omega-3 fatty acids and may have provided legitimate pain relief.
Fact: Clark Stanley's famous snake oil preparation was eventually found to contain no snake oil at all.
Fact: Many nineteenth-century patent medicines contained opium, morphine, cocaine, or alcohol.
Folklore & Marketing: Cure-all tonics routinely claimed to treat everything from arthritis and sciatica to nervous disorders and general weakness.
Still Relevant Today: Many of the marketing tactics used by nineteenth-century patent medicine companies remain recognizable in modern supplement and wellness advertising.
About Our Special Guest
Kenyon Payne is the creator and host of the Outcasts of the Earth Podcast, a history podcast that explores people living on society's margins, forgotten stories, and overlooked corners of the past.
From witches and moonshiners to the history of alcohol and intoxicants, Kenyon brings deep historical research and engaging storytelling to every episode.
🎙️ Listen to Outcasts of the Earth Podcast:
https://www.ootepod.com/
Explore More from Rainy Day Rabbit Holes
If you love strange history, forgotten stories, weird science, folklore, mysteries, and the occasional ridiculous detour into humanity's stranger decisions, be sure to visit:
🌧️ https://rainydayrabbitholes.com
You'll find full episodes, show notes, source material, and plenty of additional rabbit holes to explore.
Support Both Shows
If you enjoyed this crossover episode:
✅ Subscribe to Rainy Day Rabbit Holes
✅ Subscribe to Outcasts of the Earth Podcast
✅ Leave a review wherever you listen
✅ Share the episode with a fellow history nerd
Because whether you're chasing snake oil salesmen, Victorian opium eaters, witches, moonshiners, or forgotten oddities from the past, there is always another rabbit hole waiting.
Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: https://rainydayrabbitholes.com
Outcasts of the Earth Podcast: https://www.ootepod.com/
See you down the next rabbit hole. 🐇🌧️
Related Episodes You Might Enjoy
If this episode has you fascinated by miracle cures, questionable health trends, and the long history of people selling hope in a bottle, check out these related episodes from Rainy Day Rabbit Holes:
☢️ Radithor: The Toxic Wellness Trend That Fooled America
Before influencers were selling detox teas, entrepreneurs were selling radioactive water. Explore the shocking story of Radithor, the "health tonic" that promised energy, vitality, and wellness while slowly poisoning its customers. It's a perfect companion to our discussion of patent medicines, false advertising, and the origins of modern drug regulation.
🔗 https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/radithor-the-toxic-wellness-trend-that-fooled-america
☢️ The Deadly Glow: America's Radium Craze
Snake oil wasn't the only dangerous fad promoted as a miracle cure. Dive into the bizarre world of radioactive beauty products, health remedies, and consumer goods during America's radium obsession. If you enjoyed learning how marketing often outpaced science, this episode is for you.
🔗 https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/the-deadly-glow-americas-radium-craze
🐍 Snake Oil Never Died, It Just Went Online (Featuring Dark History)
Think the age of snake oil salesmen ended with Clark Stanley? Think again. This episode explores how many of the same tactics used by nineteenth-century patent medicine peddlers are still thriving in the digital age. From miracle supplements to viral wellness claims, discover why snake oil never really disappeared, it just got better marketing.
🔗 https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/snake-oil-never-died-it-just-went-online-featuring-dark-history

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🐪 RERUN ALERT: One of Our Most-Downloaded Listener Favorites Returns!
Some episodes are simply too weird, too wonderful, and too delightfully Western to stay buried in the archives. This week we're bringing back one of our favorite listener-favorite episodes: The Red Ghost of Arizona.
What happens when a terrifying monster stalks the Arizona desert for nearly a decade, leaves giant hoofprints, carries a decaying corpse on its back, and inspires stories of demons, ghosts, and curses? The answer turns out to be even stranger than the legend.
In this unforgettable episode, we dive into one of the weirdest tales in Wild West history: the mystery of the Red Ghost of Arizona. Witnesses described a massive red-haired beast appearing out of the desert twilight, terrifying settlers, attacking camps, and vanishing without a trace. Some swore it was supernatural. Others believed it was a punishment sent from beyond.
The truth? It involves one of the most bizarre military experiments ever attempted in the United States.
The Legend of the Red Ghost
Beginning in the 1880s, reports spread across Arizona Territory of a towering red creature roaming the desert. Witnesses claimed it was enormous, impossibly fast, and unlike anything they had ever seen. Even stranger, many said there appeared to be a human figure strapped to its back.
As sightings multiplied, so did the stories.
Folklore
The creature was said to be 30 feet tall.
Some claimed it killed a grizzly bear.
Others believed it was a ghost, demon, or desert curse.
Reports described a mysterious rider that appeared fused to the beast itself.
Fact
Settlers, miners, ranchers, and travelers genuinely reported encounters with a strange red-haired animal leaving oversized hoofprints across Arizona Territory.
The mystery persisted for years.
The U.S. Army's Camel Experiment
The answer to the Red Ghost legend leads directly to one of the strangest chapters in American history: the U.S. Army Camel Corps.
Fact
In the 1850s, the U.S. Army imported camels from the Middle East and North Africa to help transport supplies across the deserts of the American Southwest.
The experiment was surprisingly successful.
Camels could:
Carry far heavier loads than mules.
Travel days without water.
Navigate rough desert terrain with ease.
Survive conditions that challenged horses and pack animals.
Military leaders believed camels might revolutionize transportation across the frontier.
Then history intervened.
The onset of the Civil War halted the program, and many camels were sold, abandoned, or released into the wild. For decades afterward, feral camels wandered the deserts of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.
The Mystery That Remains
When the legendary Red Ghost was finally killed, witnesses discovered the truth:
Fact
The monster was a camel.
Fact
A human corpse was still attached to its back.
And that's where the mystery deepens.
Speculation
No one knows with certainty who the rider was or how he became permanently strapped to the animal.
Theories include:
A prospector attempting to survive in the desert.
A camel handler who died during transport.
A victim of frontier violence or punishment.
Someone who intentionally tied themselves to the animal hoping it would lead them to water.
More than a century later, no definitive answer has emerged.
The ghost may be explained.
The corpse never was.
In This Episode
The terrifying sightings that created the Red Ghost legend
How a camel became one of the Wild West's most feared creatures
The bizarre history of the U.S. Army Camel Corps
Jefferson Davis and America's camel experiment
The real-life camel driver known as Hi Jolly
Why camels nearly transformed transportation in the Southwest
The unsolved mystery of the mummified rider
If you love strange history, forgotten military experiments, Western folklore, and mysteries that remain unsolved, this episode delivers all four.
Key Takeaways
The Red Ghost of Arizona was one of the most famous frontier legends of the American Southwest.
Reports described a massive red-haired creature carrying a human figure across the desert.
The legend originated from real sightings during the late 1800s.
The creature was ultimately identified as a feral camel.
The camel likely originated from the U.S. Army Camel Corps experiment.
The Army imported camels in the 1850s to improve desert transportation.
Camels consistently outperformed horses and mules in harsh desert conditions.
The Civil War effectively ended America's camel program.
Wild camels continued roaming the Southwest for decades afterward.
The identity of the mysterious corpse remains one of the Wild West's enduring unsolved mysteries.
Keywords
Primary Keyword: Red Ghost of Arizona
Secondary Keywords: Arizona ghost story, Wild West mystery, U.S. Army Camel Corps, Hi Jolly, Arizona folklore, desert legend, American West history, camel corps experiment, Arizona Territory, unsolved frontier mystery
AEO Questions Answered
What was the Red Ghost of Arizona?
Was the Red Ghost real?
Why were camels brought to Arizona?
What was the U.S. Army Camel Corps?
Who was Hi Jolly?
Why was there a corpse on the camel?
Are there still wild camels in the American West?
What caused the Red Ghost legend?
Related Episodes
If you enjoyed this strange Arizona tale, you'll love these other Rainy Day Rabbit Holes adventures:
Monsters of the Mogollon Rim – Venture deeper into Arizona folklore and explore reports of one of the state's most famous cryptids, the legendary Mogollon Monster.
Listen here
The Traveling Corpse of Elmer McCurdy – Since this episode features yet another mysterious corpse that refused to stay put, discover the bizarre true story of a mummified outlaw whose body became a carnival attraction for decades.
Listen here
Haunted Brothels of the Wild West – Love Wild West legends, ghost stories, and frontier history? This episode explores some of the most infamous allegedly haunted locations from the American frontier.
Listen here

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The Vietnam War is usually remembered as a conflict fought half a world away. But for the Pacific Northwest, especially the communities surrounding Fort Lewis, the war wasn't something happening "over there." It was happening right at home.
In this episode, Shea is joined by historian, retired Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel, former Lewis Army Museum Director, and current battlefield historian Erik Flint to explore how the Vietnam War transformed Washington State, the U.S. military, and the South Sound.
From counterinsurgency training exercises in Washington forests to anti-war movements inside the military itself, Erik reveals how Fort Lewis became one of the Army's most important Vietnam-era installations and how the conflict left a lasting mark on Tacoma, Seattle, and the surrounding communities.
Please check out tours with historian Erik Flint! (Psst, he's also now a fellow guide with Pretty Gritty Tours!)
https://stephenambrosetours.com/historian/erik-flint/
Fort Lewis Becomes a Gateway to Vietnam
Long before Joint Base Lewis-McChord became one of America's largest military installations, Fort Lewis was already a critical part of the nation's defense infrastructure. During Vietnam, its role expanded dramatically.
As the war escalated, Fort Lewis became a major training center and personnel processing hub for soldiers heading to and returning from Southeast Asia. Hundreds of thousands of service members passed through the South Sound during the conflict, making the region one of the most important military gateways on the West Coast.
Erik explains how Washington's geography, transportation networks, and established military presence made the area uniquely suited to support the war effort. He also discusses the Army's early counterinsurgency training programs, some of which took place on the Olympic Peninsula years before large-scale American involvement in Vietnam.
In this section:
Why Fort Lewis became a major Vietnam-era training center
Early Army counterinsurgency exercises in Washington State
The difference between draftees and volunteers
How soldiers moved through Fort Lewis on their way to and from Vietnam
The South Sound's growing connection to the war effort
Protest, Resistance, and the GI Movement
One of the most surprising stories from the Vietnam era is that some of the strongest anti-war activism came from inside the military itself.
Erik explores the rise of the GI Movement at Fort Lewis, including underground newspapers, anti-war coffeehouses, legal aid organizations, and soldiers who openly challenged military policies and America's involvement in Vietnam.
The conversation dives into publications like Fed Up and the Lewis-McChord Free Press, as well as the broader cultural shifts of the late 1960s that fueled dissent both inside and outside military communities.
Shea and Erik also discuss:
The Fort Lewis Six
National Guard resistance efforts
Anti-war organizing near military bases
Jane Fonda's involvement in local activism
The growing divide between military leadership and younger soldiers
These stories highlight a rarely discussed side of Vietnam-era history: the conflict between military discipline and a generation increasingly willing to question authority.
How Vietnam Changed the Military Forever
The Vietnam War exposed challenges the military could no longer ignore.
Drug abuse, racial tensions, morale issues, recruiting difficulties, and widespread dissatisfaction forced Army leaders to rethink how service members lived and worked. Many of the reforms that followed shaped the modern military Americans know today.
Erik explains how military leaders implemented new equal opportunity programs, improved quality of life initiatives, expanded educational opportunities, and ultimately helped guide the transition from the draft to an all-volunteer force. Fort Lewis once again found itself at the center of that transformation.
Topics include:
Military desegregation and civil rights progress
Equal Opportunity programs
The transition to the all-volunteer Army
Improvements to soldier quality of life
Drug treatment programs for returning service members
How Vietnam influenced modern military culture
The Economic Impact on Washington State
When the war wound down, the economic impact hit Washington hard.
Military employment declined, defense-related spending decreased, and major employers such as Boeing faced significant challenges. Communities throughout the Puget Sound region felt the effects as wartime demand disappeared and the state entered a difficult economic period.
The end of Vietnam wasn't simply a military story. It became an economic and social story as well, affecting everything from jobs and housing to local politics and community identity.
Fact, Folklore & Debate
Fact
Fort Lewis served as a major Vietnam-era training and personnel processing center, connecting Washington State directly to the war effort.
Fact
Anti-war newspapers, coffeehouses, and GI activism existed within the Fort Lewis military community during the Vietnam War.
Fact
The military implemented reforms related to equal opportunity, quality of life, and recruitment during and after the Vietnam era.
Folklore & Ongoing Historical Debate
Stories about returning Vietnam veterans being routinely mistreated remain heavily debated among historians. While documented examples exist, the prevalence and scope of those incidents continue to be discussed.
Key Takeaways
Fort Lewis became one of the Army's most important Vietnam-era installations.
Washington State played a larger role in the Vietnam War than many people realize.
Anti-war activism existed both outside and inside the military.
Underground GI newspapers flourished at Fort Lewis during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Vietnam accelerated changes in military policies related to race and equal opportunity.
The Army's transition to an all-volunteer force was shaped by lessons learned during Vietnam.
Returning veterans often experienced little transition time between combat and civilian life.
Military reforms introduced after Vietnam still influence service members today.
Washington's economy felt the effects of both the war's expansion and its end.
The legacy of Vietnam remains visible throughout the South Sound.
Related Episodes
🐕 Sergeant Stubby: A Very Good Boy Goes to War
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/sergeant-stubby-a-very-good-boy-goes-to-war
⚓ Arizona Navy (1934): When a Desert State Went to War
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/arizona-navy-1934-when-a-desert-state-went-to-war
🌙 That Time We Almost Nuked the Moon
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/that-time-we-almost-nuked-the-moon
If you enjoy surprising military history, unexpected wartime stories, and the strange ways national events shape local communities, these are great rabbit holes to explore next.

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What If We've Been Counting Farts Wrong Our Entire Lives?
For years, scientists believed the average person passes gas about 14 times per day. It turns out that number may have been dramatically underestimated.
In this bonus episode, Shea dives into a wonderfully bizarre study where researchers developed wearable "smart underwear" capable of detecting intestinal gas. The device allowed scientists to measure real-world gas production more accurately than ever before, and the findings were both surprising and hilarious.
But that's only half the story.
Once we're done discussing wearable fart technology, we head to the ocean where a whale's gas reportedly created sounds that were mistaken for a possible underwater security threat. Because apparently even military intelligence isn't immune to the power of a well-timed toot.
In This Episode
The surprising reason the "14 farts per day" estimate may be wrong
How researchers built wearable gas-detecting underwear
Why self-reporting isn't always reliable science
The Human Flatus Atlas project and what researchers hope to learn
The medical importance of understanding normal gas production
The whale fart that allegedly sounded suspiciously like a military threat
Why some of the funniest scientific studies can still produce valuable discoveries
Fact, Folklore, or Speculation?
Fact: Researchers developed wearable technology to measure intestinal gas production in real-world settings and found people may pass gas far more often than previously estimated.
Fact: Scientists are using this data to better understand digestion, microbiomes, and gastrointestinal health.
Reported Incident: Unusual underwater sounds investigated as a potential security concern were later attributed to a whale.
Universal Truth: Farts have apparently been funny for thousands of years.
Coming Soon: Klondike Kate Live!
🎙️ Join us for our upcoming Klondike Kate live show!
Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is heading to the stage to explore the fascinating history, colorful characters, and larger-than-life legends surrounding the iconic Klondike Kate. Expect laughs, fascinating stories, audience interaction, and plenty of unexpected rabbit holes along the way.
For show details, updates, tickets, and upcoming events, visit:
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com
Related Episodes
If bizarre science, strange human behavior, and wonderfully weird discoveries are your thing, check out:
Hold My Sake: Japan Made Alcohol Out of Moth Poop
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/hold-my-sake-japan-made-alcohol-out-of-moth-poop-5-minute-friday
Why Are People Putting Coffee There?
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/why-are-people-putting-coffee-there
Rectum? Damn Near Evacuated 'Em
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/5-minute-friday-rectum-damn-near-evacuated-em
Explore the full archive at:
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com
Listen, Laugh, and Keep Digging
Got a strange article we should cover in a future bonus episode? We'd love to hear it.
Visit us at:
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com

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🎙️ LIVE SHOW – SEPTEMBER 16TH IN TACOMA!
Join Shea Drury and Jody Shaw of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes for a special live podcast recording at the historic McMenamins Spanish Ballroom inside the Elks Temple in Tacoma, Washington.
Long before Tacoma's Pantages Theater lit up Broadway Avenue, a woman known as Klondike Kate ruled the dance halls of the Yukon. She was the "Queen of the Gold Rush," a vaudeville performer, businesswoman, and according to some accounts, a key figure behind the early rise of theater mogul Alexander Pantages.
Follow Kate's story from the chaos of the Klondike Gold Rush to the bright lights of Tacoma as we trace a tale of ambition, money, love, betrayal, and the origins of one of Tacoma's most iconic theaters.
🎟️ Tickets: McMenamins Live Show Event Page
In the 1920s, Americans were told radioactivity was healthy.
Radium appeared in beauty products, toothpaste, drinking water systems, and even medical treatments. But one product stood apart from all the rest. Unlike many "radioactive" products of the era, Radithor actually contained measurable amounts of radium—and people were encouraged to drink it.
This week, Shea welcomes back Radiant Radium to uncover the unbelievable story of Radithor, the radioactive patent medicine that became one of history's most infamous health disasters.
☢️ The Rise of Radithor
Created by self-styled medical entrepreneur William J.A. Bailey, Radithor was marketed as a cure-all capable of restoring energy, improving vitality, stimulating the endocrine system, and even enhancing sexual performance.
Doctors prescribed it.
Patients trusted it.
And many consumers reported feeling better—at least initially.
But beneath the promises of "perpetual sunshine" and scientific progress lurked a far darker reality.
In this episode:
The radium craze that swept America in the 1910s and 1920s
How William J.A. Bailey built a radioactive wellness empire
The bizarre history of irradiated medical devices and "radiation therapy" products
Why consumers believed radioactive products improved health
How actual radium differs from many other so-called radioactive products of the era
💀 The Tragic Story of Eben Byers
One of Radithor's most devoted customers was wealthy socialite and champion golfer Eben Byers.
After suffering an injury, he began taking Radithor on his physician's recommendation.
At first, he felt fantastic.
Over time he consumed an estimated 1,400 bottles.
Then the symptoms began.
What happened next became one of the most famous medical tragedies of the twentieth century and helped expose the dangers of radioactive patent medicines to the public.
Fact: Byers' highly publicized death became a turning point in public attitudes toward radium health products.
🔬 Did Radium Really Make People Feel Better?
The answer is more complicated than you might think.
Shea and Radiant Radium discuss why some users believed Radithor worked, how radium interacts with the body, the placebo effect, and why dangerous health trends can persist long after evidence shows they're harmful.
They also explore surprising modern parallels with today's wellness industry and examine why extraordinary health claims continue to attract believers.
📺 Follow Radiant Radium
Want to see original Radithor bottles, radioactive antiques, Geiger counter demonstrations, and the strange artifacts of the Radium Age?
📺 YouTube: Radiant Radium
🎧 Related Episodes
☢️ The Deadly Glow: America's Radium Craze
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/the-deadly-glow-americas-radium-craze
💄 Glowing From the Inside: Radium Beauty | 5 Minute Friday
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/glowing-from-the-inside-radium-beauty-5-minute-friday
🐍 Snake Oil Never Died, It Just Went Online (Featuring Dark History)
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/snake-oil-never-died-it-just-went-online-featuring-dark-history

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