Today we talk about another legend in American folklore and try to find the truth and origins behind these larger-than-life tales. On this EP, we are looking into the steel-driving man John Henry. Apart from his folklore fellows, John Henry seems to have been birthed from old songs sung by railroad workers in the late 19th century... but was the subject of their songs, John Henry, an actual person? Quite possibly. Listen to find out more!

Sources:

https://virginiahistory.org/learn/historical-media/steel-drivin-man-john-henry-untold-story-american-legend

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/books/18grim.html

https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2006/qa-with-nelson-beyond-the-myth-of-john-henry.php

https://archive.org/details/steeldrivinmanjo00nels/page/n9/mode/2up?q=prison

Come and Join Chance and me as we go through the stories and tales of Paul Bunyan and his larger-than-life legends. As we sift through the information to find the truth behind the legends, we are sipping through some of Whiskey's greatest legends too. Enjoy the banter and booze, and let us know if you think Paul was FACT or FICTION. Cheers

The stories surrounding Pecos Bill are too good to be true... so are they? I will explore all of that and more as we continue to dissect American Folklore for facts, fiction, and fun! Cheers.

Sources:

Century Magazine Article

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030934122&view=1up&seq=845

Pecos Bill Video(viewer discretion advised)

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyo5ko

Pecos Bill: An Appraisal

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1497281

Current Folklore Theories

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2739820