This Week in the West

This Week in the West: Mari Sandoz

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🤠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/

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