Podcast #83 - Alexander Doniphan Presentation at The Truman Presidential Library

Hello. Last week the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri hosted a meeting of the Western Missouri Civil War Round Table. Local historian John Dillingham gave a presentation on local historical figure Alexander Doniphan. Doniphan was a national hero in the mid 1800's and lived in Liberty, Missouri. He is most noted for saving the life of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and leading the longest march in United States military history in the Mexican War. He was also an advocate for education and one of Missouri's most respected government officials. He once met Abraham Lincoln and Lincoln is reported to have said: "Alexander Doniphan is the only man I have ever met who lived up to my previous expectations." Today there many items which bear his name including several towns, a school, a battleship, a county, a highway and numerous local awards. I hope you enjoy this presentation on a true historical hero from Liberty and check out the links below for additional information.

Direct link to Podcast #83 - Alexander Doniphan Presentation at The Truman Presidential Library - MP3 Format - 29:00 minutes

Podcast #83 Show Notes:

- Alexander Doniphan - Wikipedia Page

- Alexander Doniphan Information Site

- Alexander Doniphan Information from Answers.com

- Western Missouri Civil War Round Table

- Truman Presidential Library

Podcast #37 - Ted Stillwell's Presentation on the History of the Mormons in Clay County and Jackson County Missouri in the mid 1800's

Hello. Today's podcast will focus on a local historical topic in Clay County Missouri. On August 11th the Clay County Historical Society had a presention at the museum about the history of the Mormons in Clay and Jackson Counties of Missouri in the mid 1800's. Ted W. Stillwell of Independence gave the presention and described the history of the early settlers to the local area and why the conflicts began to impact the Mormons and the local settlers. The entire presentation is about an hour long so I have split it up into two podcasts - 37A and 37B.

Mr. Stillwell is an newspaper columist for The Examiner in Jackson County and his "Portraits of the Past" column focuses on the the history and folklore of the area. He has several books for sale and I purchased one entitled "Portaits of the Past" Volume 2. It is a collection of his newspaper columns and since the are typically only a couple of pages I can easily use them as read alouds in my 8th grade history classroom. He can be contacted at the Blue and Grey Book Shoppe in Independence, Missouri (816) 252 - 9909. He is also an accomplished artist.

The start of school is right around the corner - next week - and there will be some shows in the near future about getting geared up for the new year. If you have any comments or suggestions about the podcast please contact me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Podcast #37A - Part 1 of the Ted Stillwell presentation on the History of the Mormons in Clay and Jackson County in Missouri in the Mid 1800's (MP3 file)

Direct link to Podcast #37B - Part 2 of the Ted Stillwell presentation on the History of the Mormons in Clay and Jackson County in Missouri in the Mid 1800's (MP3 file)