
The Rural Towns Project Podcast
In the Rural Towns Project Podcast, Dax Jacobson combines his day job as a business professor with his love for the rural American West he grew up in. He talks to the people who are actually trying to make a living in - and to the researchers, artists, and others inspired by - the rural towns of the American West. He hopes to help himself and others understand the past, appreciate the present, and positively impact the future of rural towns and the American West.
Podcasting since 2020 • 33 episodes
The Rural Towns Project Podcast
Latest Episodes
Bear Lake ID/UT: Part 2 with HannaLore Hein (Idaho State Historian) on the History of Bear Lake and the Development, Laws, and Legends (Bear Lake Monster!) of Water in the Bear Lake Valley and Beyond
As promised, this is Part 2 of my conversation with HannaLore Hein (Idaho State Historian) on the history of Bear Lake. As usual, HannaLore takes us on a well-researched ride on the history of place as this time we talk about the actual Bear La...
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Episode 33
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1:01:53

Bear Lake (Idaho & Utah): Natalie Randall (Executive Director of the Utah Tourism Industry Association) on the Transient Room Tax, Foreign Independent Travelers, Rural Growth Challenges, and All Things Rural Tourism
In this episode, I chat with Natalie Randall, Executive Director of the Utah Tourism Industry Association (UTIA). Natalie and I talk about her interesting background in tourism and economic development and what brought her to her current positi...
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Episode 32
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36:03

Bear Lake (Idaho & Utah): Mark Smoot (Owner of Epic Recreation, Bear Lake Lodge, and More!) on Being an Entrepreneur, the Importance of Collaboration and Relationships, and the Healing Power of the Great Outdoors
In this episode, I chat with Mark Smoot (Owner of Epic Recreation, Bear Lake Lodge, Sunrise Resort & Event Center and more!). Mark and I talk about what brought him to Bear Lake as a second career and what keeps him there (he’s become a ser...
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Episode 31
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40:20

Bear Lake (Idaho & Utah): HannaLore Hein (Idaho State Historian) on the History of Montpelier (Idaho), LDS Settlement Strategies, Mercantile Owner Edward Burgoyne, and Doing History
I’m taking a slightly different approach to podcast episodes as I work to align some of my professional and academic interests with my personal interest in the rural American West. Rather than focus on one particular town, I will be focusing on...
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Episode 30
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1:02:10

Richmond, Utah: Shawn Milne (Cache Valley Economic Development Director) on Balancing Growth and Educating Stakeholders in Rural Cache Valley
In this episode, I chat with Shawn Milne, Cache Valley Economic Development Director. Shawn is a friend and a graduate of Westminster College and one of the most interesting people I know. Shawn and I talk about his background as a small busine...
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Episode 29
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41:36
