Shaka Stories
Episodes
184 episodes
Tiburcio Velasquez — A Pinnacles National Park Story
[Transcript]Picture California in 1849. With the Mexican-American war over, California exchanged hands from Mexico to the U.S. And at the same time, the gold rush had brought tens of thousands of newcomers, mostly Anglo-Americans. For th...
The Story of Big Sur — A Pacific Coast Highway
[Transcript]In the United States, perhaps no stretch of highway is as storied as Big Sur. So, what exactly is that story? Well, depending on who you ask, Big Sur's southernmost point is somewhere around Cambria, San Simeon, or even Morr...
Kelp Forests — A Pacific Coast Highway Story
[Transcript]Giant kelp is a kind of seaweed. Now, kelp can stretch more than a hundred feet from the rocky seafloor up to the ocean surface. And just like a forest on land, the kelp shelters an incredible variety of life. R...
When The Village Went Quiet — A German Village Story
[Transcript]Sometimes, when I'm in German Village, I feel that if I listen closely, I can almost hear the echoes of the old world. The rhythmic clatter of horse-drawn wagons on brick streets. The hum of neighbors speaking German and Eng...
The Library of Congress - A Capitol Hill, Washington DC Story
[Transcript]This is a living archive that preserves the American story in all of its forms. People often ask, can you check out books from the Library of Congress? And the answer is no, nothing leaves the building. Members of Congress an...
The 32nd President and the 22nd Amendment - A Tidal Basin, Washington DC Story
[Transcript]Now, when you hear FDR, what comes to mind? The Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II. Well, one of FDR's biggest flexes, as the kids say, is that he's the only president in history to serve four terms in office. And h...
The Albert Einstein Memorial - A National Mall, Washington DC Story
[Transcript]Personally, I think the size of the memorial is fitting for a man who spent his life contemplating the mysteries of the universe and left us with such a big legacy. And unlike most monuments in Washington, DC, this one active...
The Father of Modern Surfing — Pacific Coast Highway
[Transcript]The Polynesian sport of surfing is thousands of years old. It was introduced to Western audiences here in California in the late 1800s, but the person most responsible for growing surfing culture in California came a bit late...
How Pismo State Beach Became a Monarch Butterfly Haven — The Pacific Coast Highway
[Transcript]Pismo Beach usually has one of the largest concentrations of butterflies of any of the groves across California. And here's an interesting tidbit. The monarchs that migrate here have never been here before.You see, li...
Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts - A Beacon Hill Story
[Transcript]By the middle of the American Civil War, in 1863, the Union Army was beginning to run low on soldiers. And so, President Abraham Lincoln called for the creation of black regiments. And one of the first states to do so was Mas...
The Custom House — A Historic Salem Story
[Transcript]Are you facing the old Custom House? You should see a wide staircase and a columned entrance. This building dates back to 1819 and once housed offices for the U.S. Custom Service collectors and other officials. Ship captains ...
The Logging Era — A Congaree National Park Story
[Transcript] In 1881, a Chicago-based businessman named Francis Beidler and his friend B.F. Ferguson formed the Santee River Cypress Lumber Company. Their goal was pretty straightforward but bold, harvest the vast old-growth cypress...
The Witch House — A Salem Haunted Story
[Transcript]So, are you standing in front of the witch house? It's the dark house right on the corner of Essex and North. It looks pretty good for being over 400 years old, right? The old black-timbered witch house, which has a foundatio...
The Spirits of Old Faithful Inn — A Yellowstone National Park Story
[Transcript]So, anyone up for a little ghost story? And just a disclaimer, this story might not be suitable for young children, so earmuffs, kids. Now, there's a pretty good chance that you're listening to this track while waiting for Ol...
The Granary Burying Ground — A Boston Freedom Trail Story
[Transcript]Welcome to the Granary Burying Ground. If it's open, let's wander into the cemetery. But please, no leaning or sitting on the gravestones. And they also ask that you keep off the grass. If the gates aren't open, ...
Birth of the Witch Trials — A Haunted Salem Story
[Transcript]All right, do you have a place to sit or perhaps lean against? We're just one block away from the former home of Bridget Bishop. She lived just down Washington Street from here. We'll pass by her place later.Bridget w...
A Valley Home to Hawaii's Night Marchers - A Big Island History
[Transcript]When you’re in Puna, it’s a must that you visit the Mackenzie State Park Area. This is kind of a remote and peaceful place with tall ironwood trees that line the road. But don’t get fooled by this serene appearance. This park...
Jennie Wade House — Gettysburg Haunted Story
20-year-old Jennie Wade was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. The home where she died is preserved as the Jennie Wade House Museum, and it’s possible that Jennie’s spirit never left. Visitors and guides tell of col...
The History of the Salem Witch Trials — A Haunted Salem Story
[Transcript]Alrighty, we'll stick around the visitor center a few more minutes before we get moving, and I'll share what triggered the witch trials. It would take much longer than the length of this tour to share every detail about this ...
The Golden Age of Piracy — A Dry Tortugas National Park Story
[Transcript]Okay, folks, allow me to set the scene with an excerpt from one of my favorite childhood books. His stories were what frightened people most of all, dreadful stories they were about hanging and walking the plank and storms at...
Great Sand Dunes by Day - A National Park Story
At Great Sand Dunes National Park, life fights for every drop of water and breath of air. In this episode, we explore the shifting sands where prairie sunflowers, morning glories, and resilient grasses cling to survival, while lizards and...
Trickle in the Dark - A Black Canyon of the Gunnison Story
Deep beneath the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, crews toiled in brutal, suffocating conditions to carve out one of the most ambitious engineering projects of its time—the Gunnison Tunnel. In this tense episode, we follow Foreman Grasser on what ...
A Day in the Life of a Prairie - A Wind Cave National Park Story
[Transcript]Are you looking at the prairie? So what do you see out there? In the heart of the windswept plains lies one of the most iconic and important inhabitants of the prairie, the prairie dog. Welcome to lifestyles of the small, bla...
The Jennie Wade House - A Historical Gettysburg Story
[Transcript]For a small fee, the Jenny Wade House offers guided tours inside, and it's actually one of my favorite tours in Gettysburg. Let's jump right in to the summer of 1863. By June, the American Civil War was in its third year.&nb...