Rainmaker Charles Hatfield and the Flood of 1916 Artwork

False Summits: A History Podcast about the American West

The American West has been capturing the imagination for hundreds of years. Hollywood being one of its biggest promoters it gave it an almost mythical status in minds worldwide. Depicted as a rough and tumble place but with a bit of grit and termination on could achieve love and prosperity. Dose the realty hold up to the image? And if so, does it the same ring true today?

Dive into the blurry side of the American West with this darkly comedic history podcast. Join Mason Orlando, Jess Leigh, and Marcelo Aguilar as they explore the wild, weird, grim often terrifying events that create what the American West is today.

From bizarre outlaws and forgotten massacres to eccentric hermits and religious followers attempting to create utopia, this podcast takes a sharp, absurdist twist on Western American history. With a blend of dark humor, historical insight, and a dash of heathy commentary, each episode we cover weird, unsettling, and sometimes hopeful stories that may challenge your conception of the wild West.

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False Summits: A History Podcast about the American West

Rainmaker Charles Hatfield and the Flood of 1916

February 07, 2025 • Mason Orlando - Jess Leigh - Marcelo Aguilar • Episode 23

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In this episode, Mason tells the fascinating story of Charles Hatfield, a man who claimed to have the ability to make it rain. Known as the “moisture accelerator,” Hatfield’s alleged rain-making abilities had been sought after by a western communities desperate for water in the early 1900s. According to him, his secret chemical compounds and techniques could bring rain to drought-stricken areas. One of his contracts may have resulted in a disastrous flood in Southern California.

Resources

When San Diego Hired a Rainmaker a Century Ago, It Poured

Christopher Klein

https://daily.jstor.org/charles-hatfield-rainmaker/

A Brief History of Pluviculture

Clark C. Spence

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40487683?mag=charles-hatfield-rainmaker&seq=1

Hatfield the Rainmaker

Barbara Tuthill

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1520588?mag=charles-hatfield-rainmaker&seq=1

The Great Flood of 1916

by Steve Schoenherr