Backyard History

Liberty on the Rocks (Part 3): Captured in Charlottetown

April 10, 2024 01:15 - 18 minutes - 30.1 MB

The dramatic grand finale of the rum running boat The Liberty in part three of the Liberty On The Rocks trilogy. Order a signed copy of the Backyard History book at backyardhistory.ca/book

Liberty on the Rocks (Part 2): Initiation of a Lunenburg Rum Runner

April 01, 2024 18:31 - 24 minutes - 42.2 MB

At age 15, Hugh Corkum becomes a rum runner to provide for his family after his father, a Lunenburg Nova Scotia sea captain, loses his job after crashing into an American sumbarine. Part Two of the 'Liberty On The Rocks' trilogy about the Liberty, the fastest rum running ship of Atlantic Canada! Buy the Backyard History book at backyardhistory.ca/book

Liberty on the Rocks (Part 1): Shootout at Bouctouche

March 25, 2024 01:40 - 21 minutes - 36.4 MB

The Mounties lay a trap for The Liberty, the most famous rum running ship in the Maritimes during Prohibition! Part one of a three part series called "Liberty On The Rocks." Book: backyardhistory.ca/book

The Candy Killer: The Serial Killer Who Stalked Saint John

March 06, 2024 01:51 - 58 minutes - 80.2 MB

A killer sent boxes of poisoned candies to religious leaders of Saint John, in this, the Backyard History's magnum opus episode!

Message in a Molasses Barrel

February 12, 2024 01:00 - 21 minutes - 35.5 MB

Isolated islanders find a unique way to let Canadians know a storm cut them off from the mainland.

Did Babe Ruth Detox in the Woods in New Brunswick?

February 05, 2024 00:23 - 13 minutes - 22.1 MB

As Babe Ruth's life fell apart, he headed into the woods of the Maritimes in a secret and mysterious effort to get better...

Hooves and Heroes: Princess Louise, A Warhorse’s Tale

January 11, 2024 02:17 - 25 minutes - 44.2 MB

The Canadian Forces in Italy during WW2 rescue a horse who they name Princess Louise who accompanies them throughout Europe and back home.

The Aristocrat & The Canoemaker

December 29, 2023 22:10 - 20 minutes - 34.7 MB

Juliana Horatia Ewing, a Victorian British author in Fredericton, formed an unlikely friendship with Welastekokewiyik master canoe builder Peter Polches, challenging societal norms; her transformative experiences led to a notable confrontation defending Indigenous people at a prestigious New Year's Party in 1869.

A Festive Flashback: Unwrapping Christmas 1868

December 23, 2023 05:00 - 24 minutes - 42.2 MB

Backyard History's Christmas Special for 2023!

Dr. Leslie E. Keeley Gold Cure for Drunkenness

December 10, 2023 22:32 - 33 minutes - 58.4 MB

The dramatic rise and fall of Fredericton's curious detox centre, which involved patients taking a gold-based medicine to cure alcoholism! https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-dr-leslie-e-keeley-gold-cure-institute-for-drunkards

Dr. Leslie E. Keeley Gold Cure for Drunkenness: and the Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Fredericton’s Addiction Treatment Legacy

December 10, 2023 22:32 - 33 minutes - 58.4 MB

The dramatic rise and fall of Fredericton's curious detox centre, which involved patients taking a gold-based medicine to cure alcoholism! https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-dr-leslie-e-keeley-gold-cure-institute-for-drunkards

The Second Halifax Explosion

November 20, 2023 01:40 - 19 minutes - 32.7 MB

As explosions rang out in Halifax in 1945, ordinary Haligonians raced toward the central ammunition storage depot to stop the flames before the city blew up … again! backyardhistory.ca/f/the-second-halifax-explosion

Canada’s Forgotten Military Expedition: Winslow and Ollie’s Odyssey

November 10, 2023 19:26 - 33 minutes - 56.7 MB

Two young men volunteer to for a mysterious secret mission in Russia. One of them will not make it home alive. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/canadas-forgotten-siberian-expedition-ollie-winslows-odyssey

Siberian Expedition: Winslow and Ollie’s Odyssey

November 10, 2023 19:26 - 33 minutes - 56.7 MB

Two young men volunteer to for a mysterious secret mission in Russia. One of them will not make it home alive. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/canadas-forgotten-siberian-expedition-ollie-winslows-odyssey

The Mystery of the Ghostly Fire Ship of the Baie Des Chaleurs

October 31, 2023 02:38 - 20 minutes - 33.7 MB

One of the Maritimes’ most popular ghost stories is the tale of a cursed, eternally burning sailing ship haunting the waters off of the Northern coast of New Brunswick. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-ghostly-fire-ship-of-the-baie-des-chaleurs

Revolutionary Roadblock: Trotsky’s Imprisonment in Nova Scotia

October 17, 2023 01:13 - 19 minutes - 32.5 MB

Leon Trotsky missed the beginning of the Russian Revolution because he was in -of all places- Amherst, Nova Scotia. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/trotskys-maritimes-revolutionary-roadblock

American Invaders Stole P.E.I.’s Great Seal (And Still Haven’t Given It Back!)

October 01, 2023 16:11 - 19 minutes - 32.6 MB

PEI didn't even know it was at war when the American fleet appeared. The invaders went house to house stealing clothes, carpets, and curtains ... and their Great Seal. However, one Islander who was taken captive went on to become an important spy...

The World’s Worst Nazi Spy

September 15, 2023 17:24 - 18 minutes - 32.3 MB

A spy arrives by U-Boat to sabotage Canada. He isn't very good. https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-worlds-worst-nazi-spy

The Maritimes Tour That Made Houdini (Part Two: Halifax Residency)

August 31, 2023 01:07 - 23 minutes - 40.7 MB

Houdini goes to Halifax. When his circus is arrested, he has to reevaluate his whole career. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/how-his-maritimes-tour-saved-harry-houdini-pt-2-halifax

The Maritimes Tour That Made Houdini (Part One: Saint John Residency)

August 22, 2023 23:11 - 26 minutes - 47.2 MB

A young Harry Houdini was on the verge of giving up on magic until a Maritimes tour changed his life. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/how-his-maritimes-tour-saved-harry-houdini-pt-1-saint-john

Forest Fire Destroys Musquash In Only Two Hours

June 29, 2023 00:37 - 12 minutes - 20.9 MB

A forest fire approaches the thriving town of Musquash, sending its residents fleeing to a nearby marsh for safety. Musquash was a thriving community on the Bay of Fundy, boasting several factories, mills, a railway station, and a port. All of that came to an abrupt end when the town was completely destroyed in only a couple of hours one afternoon in 1903. https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-forest-fire-that-destroyed-musquash

The Saxby Gale: Storm of the Century Predicted A Year Before It Hit

June 14, 2023 23:26 - 20 minutes - 30.5 MB

Everyone ignored the warnings. But the predictions were right: the storm of the century hit at exactly the hour that one man had predicted a year before... www.backyardhistory.ca #weather #storm #astronomy #astronology #Canada #history #strange #podcast #podcastsofcanada #backyardhistory #story #true #newengland #boston #halifax #novascotia #newbrunswick #pei #mystery #spooky #paranormal

Ben Franklin’s ”Worthless” Nova Scotian Land

June 04, 2023 17:14 - 23 minutes - 25.4 MB

Nova Scotia (and New Brunswick) came much closer to joining the United States than a lot of Canadians today would be comfortable with! https://backyardhistory.ca/f/benjamin-franklins-worthless-nova-scotian-land

The Real Klondike Kate: Unveiling the Golden Trailblazing Story!

May 23, 2023 15:54 - 41 minutes - 56.5 MB

Two Kates go to the Yukon Gold Rush. One becomes famous, the other is forgotten. But who was the REAL Klondike Kate? Was the famous Hollywood Star "Klondike Kate" aka Eloise Rockwell based on stories she had heard about an earlier figure from the Yukon Gold Rush, a forgotten Maritimer named Kate Ryan? https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-real-klondike-kate

The Real Klondike Kate

May 23, 2023 15:54 - 41 minutes - 56.5 MB

Two Kates go to the Yukon Gold Rush. One becomes famous, the other is forgotten. But who was the REAL Klondike Kate? https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-real-klondike-kate

The Principality of Outer Baldonia: Nova Scotia’s Whimsical Micronation

May 09, 2023 21:29 - 23 minutes - 38.7 MB

In 1949, a little Canadian island off of the coast of Nova Scotia declared itself to be its own country. Calling itself The Principality of Outer Baldonia, it quickly developed all of the trappings of an independent nation: it had its own currency, postage stamps, its own flag, and a coat of arms boasting on it pictures of a tuna fish, a sheep, and a smiling lobster. It soon became “one of the zaniest hoaxes in the history of international affairs.” https://backyardhistory.ca...

The Mystery of the Russian Buried Treasure

May 02, 2023 23:35 - 28 minutes - 36.4 MB

How did 111 Russian coins get buried in Bathurst? Who did it? Where did they come from and what happened to them? Lets dig into this Backyard Mystery!

Giant Squid Attacks in Newfoundland

April 23, 2023 23:00 - 28 minutes - 45.7 MB

Giant squid attacked Newfoundland fishing boats in 1873. This was all the more shocking because at the time people didn't believe giant squid were even real. Soon, the entire world's attention would turn towards Newfoundland. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/giant-squid-attacks-in-newfoundland

The Red Devil

April 18, 2023 00:16 - 20 minutes - 28.2 MB

Flying Through History as The Red Devil Takes to the Skies! On a clear Autumn day in 1912 thousands of people gathered to see the world famous Red Devil. Amid a backdrop of the Saint John Exhibition -then the second largest in the country- competing with Toronto’s CNE for position of biggest Exhibition in Canada, another rivalry was playing out. The Red Devil’s pilot, Captain Baldwin, was competing with the airplane's then rival for the future of the skies; the hot air balloon, and i...

The Cat Who Stopped a Nazi Prison Break

April 10, 2023 22:37 - 18 minutes - 25 MB

Camp B-70, near Fredericton, held captured German Nazis and Fascist Italians during the Second World War. The prisoners and guards played an elaborate game of cat and mouse, with constant attempts at escape. Remarkably, one escape was actually stopped by an actual real live cat, who had been performing in the camp as part of a traveling circus..

The Bungling Bank Burglar Who Got Stuck in a Chimney

April 01, 2023 20:51 - 20 minutes - 34.5 MB

When a bank robber gets stuck in a chimney on April Fools Day, nobody believes a 12 year old boy trying to save him.. On the cold and moonless night in the winter of 1848, the only ever attempted robbery of the Bank of New Brunswick in Saint John took place. It was not the least bit successful, and turned into quite the bizarre -but true- night long incident. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/bungling-bank-burglar-gets-stuck-in-chimney

The Interrogation of Emile Goguen

March 28, 2023 01:30 - 34 minutes - 47.6 MB

“While I am writing to you the shells are screaming and the bullets are hitting but why should I care? I have just had a good meal!” wrote Emile Goguen, an Acadian lumberjack from New Brunswick who had volunteered to go fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War, and who would be interrogated about his activities while there. More than 1500 Canadians volunteered to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War. The only New Brunswicker to join was Emile Goguen.

When PEI Banned Cars

March 21, 2023 01:20 - 24 minutes - 33.4 MB

Prince Edward Island was the first place in Canada to have a car ... and the only province to ban them! https://backyardhistory.ca/f/when-pei-banned-cars

The Radical Gardener

March 12, 2023 23:22 - 23 minutes - 36.4 MB

A beloved Canadian radio host and author had a radical past. In the 1960s a Maritimer achieved Canada wide fame for his talent in gardening. Known as Mr Green Thumbs, this kindly old man put out no fewer than four massive bestselling books on gardening, and ran a popular regular radio show on how to grow plants. Mr Green Thumbs’ many dedicated fans likely didn’t know that behind the friendly voice and the kindly writing style of the old man, was a devoted lifelong communist who was so ...

Valiant Amazon: Elizabeth Beard Fights The Americans

March 05, 2023 21:00 - 16 minutes - 27.7 MB

Elizabeth Beard fought in the American Revolution ... against the Americans. One New Brunswick woman became something of a worldwide sensation for her remarkable feats fighting in the American Revolution. She was fighting not for the Americans though, but against them. Her heroics were completely overlooked and forgotten during that chaotic time, but late her life, the public learned about what she had done decades earlier, and stories of her youthful acts became widely known all ove...

Rockwood Park: Coney Island of the Maritimes

February 27, 2023 02:03 - 16 minutes - 27.6 MB

Saint John's genteel Rockwood Park was once turned into a modern electric circus. For several years Saint John’s iconic Rockwood Park –the largest urban park in Canada at the time– was turned into a summer fair grounds based on Coney Island. In the early 1900s it featured rides that had never been seen before like a ferris wheel and merry go around, nightly fireworks, bars and restaurants, and acrobatic performances so daring the daredevil chickened out, but a local waiter stepped in to per...

The Battle of Fort Nashwaak

February 20, 2023 02:21 - 24 minutes - 41.1 MB

Like the Alamo, but in Fredericton. Fredericton’s first European settlement was a French fort, which was attacked and besieged by a fleet from New England. The story of the battle is kind of like the American myth of the Alamo. A small and beleaguered band of defenders is facing down a vastly larger and better equipped army of invaders. Except in this case they are coming up from what is now the United States. The invaders have a reputation for massacres, and losing the battle would li...

The Year of the Mice

February 12, 2023 21:30 - 12 minutes - 17.6 MB

In 1815 Nova Scotia was overrun by mice. Dr. George Patterson later interviewed people who lived through what was called Year of the Mice. The horrors of that year left a mark on those who had experienced it so deep that he found that elderly people that had personally experienced the mouse invasion still used it as a measurement of time. ‘Sixty-two Years After The Mice,’ Dr. Patterson wrote that these had been no ordinary mice: “They were very destructive and actually fierce. If pursu...

The Italian Air Armada Comes To Town

February 06, 2023 00:18 - 33 minutes - 53.4 MB

A fleet of Fascist Italian airplanes stop in a little seaside resort town in the Maritimes … with a dark political agenda. On July 13th 1933 a reporter for the Moncton Daily Times was rushing towards the newly built wharfs of the tiny seaside village of Shediac. He is trying to make it in time to catch a glimpse of an incredible sight: 24 massive airplanes flying in a giant V formation that were arriving all the way from Italy... To see plenty of photos of the Italian Air Armada's ar...

The Dark Harbour Hermits

January 26, 2023 18:18 - 16 minutes - 26.8 MB

*Top Episode of 2023! In the 1920s two hermit brothers on Grand Manan became internationally famous as the mysterious “Dark Harbour Hermits.” Hundreds of tourists from the United States and even faraway Europe came to visit them in their homemade shacks on the beaches of the strange and isolated place known as Dark Harbour, where the hermits would entertain the tourists with their art, their poems, and their songs. backyardhistory.ca

Nova Hollandia: When Canada Was A Dutch Colony

January 10, 2023 13:12 - 25 minutes - 36.2 MB

The Maritimes were briefly the Dutch colony of Nova Hollandia.. We’re always taught in school that ever since European colonists arrived in what is now Canada, that it was always a colony of either England or France. However, it’s a little-known fact that for a brief time the Maritimes were conquered by the Dutch, and were a short lived colony with a remarkably bizarre history, named Nova Hollandia. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/when-the-maritimes-were-dutch

Wreck and Rescue of the Velma

December 16, 2022 02:45 - 18 minutes - 27.8 MB

An unlikely trio is celebrated by a US President for their heroic rescue of sailors stranded for days on a rock in a storm. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/wreck-and-rescue-of-the-velma

Secret Diary From The Asylum

December 05, 2022 07:58 - 27 minutes - 39.5 MB

“They will not allow me to go home,” begins the haunting diary that Mary Huestis Pengilly wrote while locked up in the Saint John Lunatic Asylum, Canada’s first ever mental health institution. She wrote vividly in a secret diary about her experiences as a patient in the Asylum in the 1880s, which she later published into a book. After her release, she became a high profile and outspoken advocate for reforming how mental health was treated in both Canada and the United States. https://backy...

Sabotage In The Maritimes: The Vanceboro International Bridge Bombing

November 27, 2022 02:11 - 16 minutes - 24.6 MB

The Maritimes were home to the only German bombing in North America in World War One. Fortunately the Agent wasn't very good, and was more than willing to tell everything to an intrepid reporter... https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/german-agents-bombed-a-new-brunswick-bridge

Sabotage! In The Maritimes

November 27, 2022 02:11 - 16 minutes - 24.6 MB

A mysterious stranger bombs a bridge... At 2 in the morning on a freezing cold night in the middle of a heavy snowstorm on February 2nd, 1915, a man placed a large black bag under a key railway bridge linking the Canada-US border. The man, who was a German agent on a mission to cripple the transportation of key war material to the trenches of the First World War, unspooled a lengthy fuse, lit it. Soon an explosion rang out with such force that it shattered windows on both sides ...

The Mysterious Disappearance of the Creamer Children

November 20, 2022 16:08 - 23 minutes - 34.7 MB

Nothing was quite what it seemed... In the Summer of 1906 The Maritimes were captivated by a strange mystery when two young children disappeared in broad daylight from right in front of their house. One reporter, who signed her articles simply as The Special Correspondent, went to the tiny village of Cape Tormentine to investigate the disappearances. The more she learned about the case, the stranger it became, as she met a very unusual group of people, each of whom seemed to be hidin...

Fighting For Humanity’s Rights

November 11, 2022 03:10 - 15 minutes - 24 MB

A baseball star becomes one of the few Black Canadians to fight in the First World War. https://backyardhistory.ca/f/fighting-for-the-right-to-fight

The Lost Colony

November 06, 2022 05:35 - 28 minutes - 42.8 MB

A simple question leads to a lost colony in Cape Breton.. What does “Fundy” mean? Where does the unusual name for the large bay between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia boasting the highest tides in the world come from? The short answer is that it’s Portuguese, but figuring out what “Fundy” means involves a lost colony, confused explorers, and a perplexing mix up.. There is some surviving evidence of a 1521 Portuguese lost colony in The Maritimes. If true, this would be the first Europe...

The Spectre of Rexton

October 28, 2022 16:35 - 19 minutes - 33.9 MB

Is it a ghost haunting the woods or something else? A car load of four young people -two guys and two girls- were driving home from a dance on a dark and stormy Halloween night in 1930. They were on a dark road going through the woods between the small towns of Richibucto and Rexton on New Brunswick’s East Coast, when they had a bizarre close encounter with a ghost… https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-spectre-of-rexton-bootleggers-dressed-as-ghosts

Pandemic 1918

October 21, 2022 01:05 - 20 minutes - 33.8 MB

One province defeats a pandemic and in the process influences all of North America, leading to improvements in healthcare all over Canada and the United States as they copy the latest developments in ... New Brunswick. https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/pandemic-1918-how-one-doctor-saved-new-brunswick

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