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.

All Episodes

False Summits: A History Podcast about the American West

Bishop Koyle’s Dream Mine

July 19, 2025 • Mason Orlando - Jess Leigh - Marcelo Aguilar • Episode 33

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In this episode, Mason tells the story of John Hyrum Koyle. A prominent member of the church of latter-day Saints whose prophetic dreams caused him and his believers to build a mine based on Koyle’s visions. Dubbed the Dream Mine, Koyle promised it would not only yield treasures for the church to use in the end times, but also unearth lost relics that would unlock unknown dimensions of the Mormon faith. Eventually the Bishop’s is mine and visions would put him and his “Dream Miners” in opposition to the leadership of their Church.

#WesternHistory #UtahHistory #LDSHistory #MormonHistory #DreamMine #JohnKoyle #BishopKoyle #SalmUtah #FalseSummitsPod

Resources:

THE DREAM MINE STORY

by Norman C. Pierce 1958

https://www.ourhollowearth.com/DreamMineStory.pdf

Utah History Encyclopedia

Dream Mine

Jay M. Haymond

https://web.archive.org/web/20170909015113/http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/mining_and_railroads/dreammine.html

5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About the Three Nephites

https://www.ldsliving.com/5-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-three-nephites/s/87111

By Katie Lambert