Curious Cousins OK Podcast

Episode 162: The Skirvin Hotel – The Grande Dame’s Double Life"I don't think it's haunted. I think NBA players are just a bunch of sissies." — Petra Germany, Skirvin Artist-in-ResidenceIn this episode, we step inside the revolving doors of Oklahoma City’s most storied landmark: The Skirvin Hilton. From its 1911 debut as the "Waldorf of the Heartland" to its dark years as a boarded-up ruin, the...

Episode 161: Jim Thorpe Pt. 2 – The Bright Path Beyond the GoldIn the conclusion of our two-part series, we follow Jim Thorpe as he hangs up his cleats and heads west to the silver screen. While the world remembers him as the "greatest athlete in the world," this episode explores the gritty, complex, and often heartbreaking chapters of his life that followed his Olympic and professional sports...

Episode 160: Jim Thorpe – The Bright Path of an American Icon"Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world." — King Gustav V of Sweden to Jim Thorpe, 1912.This episode explores the Herculean life of James Francis Thorpe (Wa-Tho-Huk), a man whose athletic dominance was so absolute that he redefined the limits of human potential. From the rugged wilderness of Oklahoma to the podiums of Stockholm,...

In a departure from our usual schedule, this week we are slowing down to look backward. Driven by a surge of missing persons reports, and a personal desire to cut through the noise of a busy season, we are revisiting three names that the world has begun to whisper, but must never forget."Time heals all wounds" is a lie told to those who aren't waiting for a phone call that never comes. In this...

Episode 158: The "Belle" of Rogers County – The Belvidere MansionIn this episode, we travel to Claremore, Oklahoma, to explore the Belvidere Mansion, a three-story Victorian Gothic "castle" with a history as grand as its four turrets. Built at the turn of the 20th century by wealthy entrepreneur John Melville Bayless, this 9,000-square-foot masterpiece was meant to be a dream home—but it quickly...

Episode 157: OK Black Rodeo – The Dust, The Duty, and The DynastyIn this episode, Tiff kicks up the red dirt of Oklahoma to uncover a history often "whitewashed" out of the Hollywood Western: the formidable legacy of the Black cowboy. From the "Soul Circuit" of all-Black towns to the modern-day "Super Bowls" of rodeo, we explore how Oklahoma became the epicenter of a movement where skill met...

Podcast Episode 156: The Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken TragedyIn this chilling episode, we travel back to the summer of 1992 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to revisit a crime that shattered the sense of safety in a tight-knit community. Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken wasn't just a restaurant; it was a "fried chicken royalty" landmark with direct ties to Colonel Sanders himself. But on August 17, that legacy of...

Episode 155: The Ghosts of Fort SillIs it possible for a military base to never truly "close," but instead just layer century after century of restless energy into the soil?In this episode, we are heading to Lawton, Oklahoma, to explore Fort Sill. Unlike other frontier posts that were abandoned to the elements, Fort Sill has been continuously active since 1869. It has evolved from a horseback...

"My boy, may an old man's curse rest upon you if you do not try to avenge your father."In 1868, an eight-year-old boy named Frank Eaton witnessed his father’s cold-blooded murder at the hands of lawless vigilantes. Most children would have been broken; Frank just got a gun.In this week’s episode, Jess traces the incredible 97-year journey of the man who would become Pistol Pete. We’re diving deep...

This week, your favorite cousins wrap up the crimes of Glen Ake and Steve Hatch.Ake and Hatch were arrested in Colorado and returned to Oklahoma after being linked to the murders of Reverend and Mrs. Douglass, as well as related crimes in Texas. Six weeks after the killings, the manhunt ended on Thanksgiving Eve 1979; Oklahoma officials moved quickly to secure custody. Evidence against them...