Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: History Unhinged

Arizona is known for deserts, dust, and dramatic sunsets—not naval warfare. And yet, in 1934, the state of Arizona very briefly assembled an honest-to-God navy and aimed it straight at California. In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, we dive into one of the strangest interstate standoffs in U.S. history, where water rights, political grudges, and pure stubbornness collided on the Colorado River.
At the center of the chaos is Parker Dam, a massive federal project straddling the Arizona–California border, and a decades-long fight over who gets to control the river that keeps the Southwest alive. When Arizona decided California had gone too far, the governor responded with troops, martial law, and commandeered ferry boats. Yes—ferry boats. Thus, the Arizona Navy was born.
Newspapers mocked it. California scoffed. Arizona doubled down. For 48 unforgettable hours, a landlocked state patrolled the river with armed guards and a newly appointed admiral, proving once and for all that when it comes to water, Arizona does not play nice. The outcome was short-lived, deeply ironic, and somehow still echoing into modern water politics.
This episode is a perfect snapshot of unhinged history: equal parts political drama, regional rivalry, and “wait…that really happened?” If you like stories where reality outdoes satire, you’re in the right rabbit hole.
For more episodes, photos, and sources, visit www.rainydayrabbitholes.com.
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Huge thanks to Letha Davis for building our beautiful website. If you love how Rainy Day Rabbit Holes looks online, you can have your own site built by Letha at www.easybrzy.com.

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Step into one of the most jaw‑dropping survival stories in American history — a tale so wild that even The Revenant barely scratched the surface. In this episode, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes unpacks the chaotic, violent, and strangely cinematic life of Hugh Glass: sailor, pirate captive, adopted Pawnee tribesman, frontier scout, and the man who simply refused to die.
Before Glass ever met the grizzly that made him famous, he’d already survived pirate raids, shark‑infested waters, and a ceremonial execution that claimed the life of his companion. But nothing compares to what happened next: a brutal bear attack, a desperate betrayal, and a crawl across hundreds of miles of unforgiving wilderness with nothing but a bear hide and sheer spite to keep him alive.
We explore the messy historical record, the tall tales Glass told about himself, and the parts of his story that are so extreme they feel like folklore. If you think you know the Hugh Glass story because you’ve seen the movie — think again. This is the unfiltered, unhinged version.
Perfect for fans of frontier history, survival epics, pirate lore, and the kind of stories that make you say, “There’s no way that actually happened”… except it did.
Check out our website at rainydayrabbitholes.com for episode guides, sources, and more. Want more Unhinged History? Join us on Patreon for ad‑free and early episodes, plus bonus content you won’t hear anywhere else. Big thanks to Letha Davis at easybrzy.com for our beautiful website. Proud member of MSW Media.

Chapters

00:00 The Grizzly Bear Encounter
02:13 Hugh Glass: The Man Behind the Legend
12:52 Survival Skills and the Pawnee Tribe
24:04 The Bear Attack: A Fight for Life
35:12 The Quest for Revenge
41:23 The Real Story vs. Hollywood's Adaptation

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A truly crappy way to go.
Today, enjoy this bonus sample from our most recent Patreon bonus episode about the Erfurt Latrine Disaster-a high‑stakes medieval gathering goes disastrously wrong in one of the most infamous mishaps you’ve probably never heard of. This bonus episode unpacks the political tensions, the crowded venue, and the chain of decisions that set the stage for a catastrophe so bizarre it’s echoed through history.
If you are dying to hear the rest of the episode, head on over to our website at rainydayrabbitholes.com and join our Patreon! For just $5 per month you get bonus episodes, ad-free and early episodes, and more!

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Proud members of the MSW Media Network

Last week, we revisited one of our biggest episodes ever: How the West Was Stolen — The Oregon Land Fraud King, our 2024 deep dive into the Oregon Land Frauds featuring Allison Gill (The Daily Beans) and Shea’s brother Jason. If you want the full “how the scheme worked” breakdown — the dummy entrymen, the timber grabs, the scale of the theft — go listen to that episode first. It’s the foundation. But you can still enjoy this week's episode even if you missed last week.
Because this week… we’re zooming in on the slipperiest character orbiting the whole mess: U.S. Senator John H. Mitchell.
John H. Mitchell was the kind of politician who didn’t just survive scandal — he collected it. Name changes, personal controversy, corruption accusations, railroad money, political sabotage, courtroom drama… and through it all, he kept finding his way back into power. Not once. Not twice. Four terms.
In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, Shea takes you through Mitchell’s entire chaotic arc — from early reinvention and reputation-building, to the legal landmark case Pennoyer v. Neff, to the factional warfare of Oregon politics, all the way to the moment the federal government finally stopped looking the other way.
And as we join the MSW Media Network, this story feels like a perfect kickoff for the next era of the show — because if you’ve ever looked at modern political headlines and thought, “Wait… how is this allowed?” — you’re going to feel extremely at home here.
🎧 In this episode:
John H. Mitchell’s rise from reinvention to influence
The Pennoyer v. Neff case and what it reveals about his methods
The 1866 “bolting caucus” and Oregon’s political chaos
Bribery accusations and the shadow of railroad power
Deadlocked legislatures, backroom deals, and a Senate seat held hostage
The Oregon Land Fraud fallout… and the scandal that finally stuck
If last week was the crime, this week is the politician who kept skating past it — until he couldn’t.
🎙️ Rainy Day Rabbit Holes — unhinged history, corruption, and the uncomfortable reminder that some things never change… especially in politics.
Listen + links: rainydayrabbitholes.com
Bonus + ad-free: Patreon (links at website)
Watch on YouTube + follow on socials: @RainyDayRabbitHoles

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Special Guest Allison Gill of the Daily Beans, Unjustified, Cleanup on Aisle 45, and founder of MSW Media!
This week, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is going full “wild west,” with a scandal that spans four decades, features millionaire tycoons, U.S. senators, railroad barons, and—because history is never normal—a belly dancer called “Little Egypt.”

Shea takes us deep into the late-1800s timber boom, where public land laws like the Homestead Act and the Timber & Stone Act were exploited so thoroughly that the “American Dream” basically became: “steal from the government, call it business.”

Joining Shea and Jody for this chaos is special guest Allison Gill—host of The Daily Beans and the head of MSW Media—who brings her trademark sharp political insight (plus swearing, jokes, and the occasional Eddie Izzard reference) to a scandal where everyone involved is conveniently already dead.

And big news: Rainy Day Rabbit Holes has officially joined Allison’s network, MSW Media! We’re beyond excited to be part of the MSW Media family and can’t wait to share even more weird, messy, unhinged history with an even bigger community of listeners.

If you’ve ever wondered how people pulled off land fraud before the internet (or indoor plumbing), buckle up: this episode has bribes, fake homesteads, corrupt officials, and indictments by the thousand.

Check out the rest of our episodes and our bonus content available on Patreon! Head on over to www.rainydayrabbitholes.com

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