PODCAST · history
The Blue Tarp
by KTNA
The Blue Tarp covers the stories of the people and places of Alaska's Northern Susitna Valley, told by the people who lived them. From old-timers to newcomers, there's room for everyone under our tarp.
Episodes
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Season 5 Finale
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This will be our last episode for season five. As is often the case, we are going to close out the season with a few topics that we wanted to make sure we covered. Today, we’ll discuss solo…
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Episode 7: Close Calls on Denali
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. So far this season, we’ve covered many aspects of climbing Denali, including how harrowing expeditions can be when they go wrong. Today, we’re going to hear from Alaskan climbers, most of whom…
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Episode 6: Women on Denali
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This season, we’ve heard many stories about climbing Denali. Whether they were stories of triumph, tragedy, or something in between, one thing has been true about nearly all of them. They are...
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Triumph and Tragedy in 1967
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. We are now past the halfway point in our season about mountaineering on Denali, North America’s tallest peak. Today, we’re jumping forward in time once again, but instead of covering an entire…
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Climbing Denali in the 1940s and 1950s
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Unlike previous seasons of this program, the episodes so far have been primarily a chronological history lesson of mountaineering on Denali. Today, we’ll continue to tell some of that history by...
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Early Firsts on Denali
In this episode, we’ve covered many firsts. The first team to summit, the first airplane used as part of an expedition, the first team to reach both summits, and, unfortunately, the first known fatalities on Denali. In our next episode, we’re going to move forward in history to a time when...
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Early Attempts on Denali
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as usually told by those who lived them. Today, most of our stories will not be first-hand, since we are delving into the early history of documented attempts to climb Denali. That said, they form an important chapter in the...
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Climbing Denali Today
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Thank you for joining us as we kick off season five. This year, our theme is climbing Denali. North America’s highest mountain is a constant presence in the lives of the folks who live here, and...
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Season 4, Episode 8: Growing Up Here
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This is the last episode of our fourth season, which we have dubbed Susitna Valley origin stories. Over the course of the season, we have explored a variety of reasons that led people to relocate...
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Season 4, Episode 7: Up the Tracks
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we’ll hear stories from people for whom even Talkeetna was too crowded. Instead of the hustle and bustle of the booming metropolis of Talkeetna, they opted to live in the communities…
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Season 4, Episode 6: Homesteaders
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we’ll hear about people who came to the area to live a remote lifestyle. Whether they came as part of the Homestead Act, other agricultural programs, or simply on their own, they have made...
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Season 4, Episode 5: Oldtimers
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. So far in this season about arrivals in the Susitna Valley, we have covered the first people to arrive here, whose ancestors are still here, all the way up to people who have recently finished...
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Season 4, Episode 4: Just Visiting Part 2
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. In this episode, we’re continuing our exploration of stories from locals who thought they were coming here temporarily, but ended up calling the Valley home. Whether you’re an oldtimer or a...
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Season 4, Episode 3: Just Visiting Part 1
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. As we focus in Season Four about how local residents found their way here, a common trend emerges fairly quickly. Many who call this area home didn’t intend for that to happen when they first...
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Season 4, Episode 2: Newcomers
This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Our fourth season is focusing on Northern Valley origin stories, how people found themselves here at various points in history. In episode one, we heard about the first peoples to live in the area....
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Season 4, Episode 1: Susitna Valley Origins
This is the Blue Tarp, stories from the Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Our fourth season focuses on Susitna Valley origin stories. Everyone who lives here today got here, somehow. To begin this season, we hear about the people who lived here for centuries before the first person…
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Season 3, Episode 8: The Present and the Future
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This will be our last episode for season three, which has focused on women in aviation. As we wind down this season, we want to take a look at the very recent past, as well as how women are…
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The Blue Tarp Season 3, Episode 7: Best Moments
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. In our last episode, we heard stories about some of the scariest moments our interviewees experienced in their time within the aviation community. This time, we want to flip that around and hear...
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Season 3, Episode 6: Scariest Moments
NOTE: This is an updated version of Episode 6. When initially published, we inadvertently left out part of Robin Spaulding's story. That section, which begins around 17:35, has now been included. This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them....
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Season 3, Episode 5: Denali Base Camp
This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. In this season, we’ve been focusing on women in aviation. For this episode, we’re going to focus on a job unique to the area, effectively running a small airport seven thousand feet up North...
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Season 3, Episode 4: Women Aviators
This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. On this episode, we’re going to hear what it means to be a woman in a community that is often viewed as being rather male dominated. Whether you’re an old-timer or a newcomer, there's room under…
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Season 3, Episode 3: Air Taxis in the Susitna Valley
This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. On this episode, we’re going to begin our look at local air services and the various roles that women have played in making aviation in the area what it is today. Whether you’re an old-timer or a...
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Season 3, Episode 2: Flying in the Susitna Valley
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. For this season, we’re focusing on aviation in the area, particularly the stories told by and about women in the field. The first episode of season three was less focused on the Susitna Valley…
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Season 3, Episode 1: Women in Alaska Aviation History
This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Thank you for listening to this episode, which marks the beginning of our third season, which will focus on women in aviation. Support the show
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Season 2, Episode 8: Green Light Circus and Complexities of Love
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. As we wrap up our second season focused on events in the Northern Susitna Valley, we are coming back to Talkeetna. Specifically to the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar just off Main Street to hear...
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Season 2, Episode 7: Trapper Creek Festivals
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This season, we’ve been looking at events in the area, and today we’ll be focusing on two annual festivals across the river from Talkeetna in Trapper Creek. If you’re looking for summer fun, or…
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Season 2, Episode 6: Susitna Valley Mushing
This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we’ll hear about Alaska’s state sport, dog mushing, and how mushing events have played a role in life in the area. Mushing races can be as short as a few miles or as long as a thousand.…
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Season 2, Episode 5: Oosik Classic
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. This season has been focused on events unique to the area. Today, we’re looking at another annual gathering that brings hundreds of people to Talkeetna each March. In most years, it is a reminder...
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Season 2, Episode 4: Miner's Day
This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we’re exploring another festival from Talkeetna’s recent past, Miner’s Day. It’s another example of the sort of celebration that took place before large-scale tourism moved into the area…
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Season 2, Episode 3: Moose Dropping Festival
This is The Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we’re looking at an event...or rather two events with very similar names and themes having to do with...moose excrement. Come along as we hear about the Moose Dropping Festival...not to be...
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Season 2, Episode 2: Talkeetna Bachelor Auction
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska’s Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. In this episode, we’re taking a look at the event that has turned the darkest time of year into the biggest party for the last forty years, the Talkeetna Bachelor Auction. Whether you’re an...
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Season 2, Episode 1: Wilderness Woman Contest
One of the more common questions visitors ask Talkeetna residents is what we do in the winter. We’re starting off our second season by answering part of that question. The first Saturday in December is typically bustling on Talkeetna’s Main Street for the Wilderness Woman Contest. Support the show
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Season 2 Teaser
The Blue Tarp is back for season two! Our first episode is going up Saturday, March 20th, 2021. This time, we're covering events around the Susitna Valley both past and present. We do still have some sponsorship opportunities available for this season, so if you want to help us continue to make…
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The Blue Tarp 2020 Christmas Special
This episode of The Blue Tarp is our second seasonal special. The Editorial Board and KTNA staff have started working on season two of the show, which we will be bringing to you in 2021. For today, we’re taking a look at the holiday season in the Northern Susitna Valley. You’ll hear from folks…
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2020 Halloween Special
This is The Blue Tarp, stories from Alaska's Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Today, we have a special episode for you just in time for Halloween! In this episode, we hear a few ghost stories from around the Northern Susitna Valley. Some of the stories appeared in previous...
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Season 1, Episode 8: Bucket of Blood and Belle Macdonald
This is the Blue Tarp, stories of Alaska’s Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Join us today as we wrap up our first season with two buildings that used to form part of daily life for many in Downtown Talkeetna, but today have been lost to time. Whether you’re an old timer or a...
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Season 1, Episode 7: Cabins
Thus far in season one, we’ve been focusing on single places like iconic roadhouses, ghost towns, and the old school house. Today, we change things up a little bit and take a tour of some the humble yet vital cabins that sheltered miners and trappers in the area, many of which still stand today....
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Season 1, Episode 6: The Forks Roadhouse
Thus far, most of our stories have centered on historic places in Talkeetna. Today, we head across the river, past Trapper Creek, and toward the Petersville mining district, where we find the Forks Roadhouse miles away from any paved roads. Built in the early 1930s, the roadhouse has been a vital...
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Season 1, Episode 5: Curry
Today, we’re headed to Curry, a place “up the tracks” from Talkeetna that has been the site of a luxury hotel, a thriving small town, and many homesteaders. Today, only the barest remains of its former glory poke through the forest along the tracks and the river. Join us as we head up the tracks...
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Season 1, Episode 4: Nagley's General Store
This is the Blue Tarp, sharing the stories of the Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. Whether you’re an old-timer or a newcomer, there’s room under the Blue Tarp for everyone. Today, we’re visiting one of the first buildings you see as you turn onto Talkeetna’s Main Street,...
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Season 1, Episode 3: The Talkeetna Roadhouse
Since being built by Frank Lee around 1916 and later moved to its current location, the Talkeetna Roadhouse has been a staple of local life. Like many of the Northern Susitna Valley’s historic buildings, it has changed hands many times, and the feel of the Roadhouse has changed along with those…
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Season 1, Episode 2: The Fairview Inn
The Fairview Inn is referred to by some as "Talkeetna's living room." On this episode of the Blue Tarp, we hear from people for whom the Fairview has been a major part of their life. We also hear about some brushes with fame, and even some brushes with the other side. Support the show
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Season 1, Episode 1: The Schoolhouse
For more than eighty years, the territorial schoolhouse building has stood in Downtown Talkeetna, Alaska. Built to be essentially identical to other federally funded schools throughout Alaska in the territorial days, it has served many purposes over the decades beyond hosting classes. It has been…
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Coming Soon: The Blue Tarp
In this teaser, you get a taste of KTNA's newest program (and first podcast), The Blue Tarp! The Blue Tarp covers the stories of the Northern Susitna Valley as told by those who lived them. In Season One, we'll be taking a look at some of the area's iconic and historic buildings, and hearing some...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Blue Tarp have?
The Blue Tarp currently has 44 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Blue Tarp about?
The Blue Tarp covers the stories of the people and places of Alaska's Northern Susitna Valley, told by the people who lived them. From old-timers to newcomers, there's room for everyone under our tarp.
How often does The Blue Tarp release new episodes?
The Blue Tarp has 44 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Blue Tarp?
You can listen to The Blue Tarp on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Blue Tarp?
The Blue Tarp is created and hosted by KTNA.
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