This Week in the West

This Week in the West: Mari Sandoz


Listen Later

🤠This Week in the West

🎙️ Episode 19: Mari Sandoz

📢 Episode Summary:

This week’s episode of This Week in the West tells the story of Mari Sandoz, who was no stranger to hardship. Growing up on the harsh Nebraska prairie, she endured physical and emotional struggles that shaped her perspective and writing. Despite her father’s lifelong discouragement, a dying request from him set her on a path to become one of the most important chroniclers of the American West. Her 1935 book Old Jules, a stark portrayal of frontier life, established her as a significant literary voice, though its road to publication was long and arduous.

Sandoz’s work went beyond biography—she fearlessly tackled political corruption, social injustice, and the realities of life on the Great Plains. Her novel Slogum House was banned for its unvarnished depiction of greed and cruelty, and Capital City stirred controversy for exposing government corruption. She later became known for her groundbreaking biography Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas, written from within the Lakota perspective, a pioneering approach for its time.

Mari Sandoz remained devoted to her craft despite setbacks, rejection, and even threats. Her deep commitment to truth and historical accuracy led to a body of work that continues to shape our understanding of the West. Inducted posthumously into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1998, her legacy lives on as an uncompromising voice of the frontier.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

  • How Mari Sandoz defied the odds to become one of the most important writers of the American West
  • The struggles she faced in getting Old Jules published—and how it became a bestseller
  • Her groundbreaking approach to writing Crazy Horse, told from a Lakota perspective
  • 👥 Behind the Scenes

    Host: Seth Spillman
    Producer: Chase Spivey
    Writer: Mike Koehler

    🔗 Further research:

    • A 1961 interview with Mari Sandoz from Nebraska Public Television: https://youtu.be/msNHusaDuAE?si=l1ewTc1tH-YEGxkh
    • Mari Sandoz Historical Society: https://www.marisandozsociety.org/
    • Mari Sandoz Heritage Center: https://sandozcenter.com/
    • 📬 Connect With Us:

      🌐 Website: www.nationalcowboymuseum.org
      📖 Read Our Blog: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/blog/
      📩 Email: [email protected]
      📲Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ncwhm/
      📷Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalcowboymuseum
      ❎X/Twitter: https://x.com/ncwhm
      💼LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-cowboy-&-western-heritage-museum

      🗺️ Visit Us:

      The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map


      💡 Support Us:
      🏅Become A Member of the Museum: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/support/memberships/
      🛒Shop at Persimmon Hill, our Museum store: https://persimmonhillstore.com/

      🎧 Listen & Subscribe:

      🔹 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-the-west/id1776228708
      🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KYmd2BumVtQVH1ez1Cr2U
      🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFoE2kU21JpX9T6W9NonXuD9UapS1TsmN
      🔹Podbean: https://thisweekinthewest.podbean.com/ 

      ⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate & review!

       

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      This Week in the WestBy The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7

      4.7

      19 ratings


      More shows like This Week in the West

      View all
      The Joe Rogan Experience by Joe Rogan

      The Joe Rogan Experience

      229,687 Listeners

      The Ben Shapiro Show by The Daily Wire

      The Ben Shapiro Show

      154,107 Listeners

      The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe by The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

      The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

      41,164 Listeners

      The Rewatchables by The Ringer

      The Rewatchables

      14,058 Listeners

      Legends of the Old West by Black Barrel Media

      Legends of the Old West

      3,668 Listeners

      The Wild West Extravaganza by The Wild West Extravaganza

      The Wild West Extravaganza

      776 Listeners

      The Shawn Ryan Show by Shawn Ryan

      The Shawn Ryan Show

      46,147 Listeners

      Rodeo Time with Dale Brisby by Dale Brisby

      Rodeo Time with Dale Brisby

      1,333 Listeners

      The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

      The Rest Is History

      15,848 Listeners

      The Jack Carr Channel by Jack Carr

      The Jack Carr Channel

      2,883 Listeners

      Bear Grease by MeatEater

      Bear Grease

      7,428 Listeners

      Short History Of... by NOISER

      Short History Of...

      2,856 Listeners

      1001 Stories From the Old West by Jon Hagadorn

      1001 Stories From the Old West

      202 Listeners

      Charly Crawford Podcast by Charly Crawford

      Charly Crawford Podcast

      138 Listeners

      The American West by MeatEater

      The American West

      427 Listeners