About this episode
Send us Fan MailThe untold stories of the 1915 Eastland disaster continue to surface over a century later through forgotten newspaper accounts and overlooked connections. These rediscovered narratives reveal how this Chicago tragedy touched lives across America in ways rarely documented.FEATURED STORIESH.L. Bening, a West Virginia jeweler who witnessed the disaster while in Chicago on business, providing a powerful emotional account• The "candy butchers" who sold refreshments aboard the Eastland and survived to share their stories of the capsizing and rescue efforts • "Little Elsie," a professional high diver who believed her brother died in the disaster, though research suggests this may have been mistakenWhat I LearnedThe forgotten profession of "candy butchers" - traveling vendors who sold treats, souvenirs and newspapers on trains, in theaters, and aboard excursion boatsHow the golden age of women high divers represented women defying both gravity and societal expectations in the early 1900sWhy these rediscovered accounts matter in understanding how history ripples outward beyond headlinesResourcesFirst Ever Women's Diving Competition - Stockholm 1912 OlympicsNewspaper Citations Washington Herald, August 8, 1915.Beckley Messenger (Beckley, West Virginia), August 3, 1915.Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 25, 1915.The Day Book (Chicago), August 14, 1915.Book website: https://www.flowerintheriver.com/Substack: https://nataliezett.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-z-87092b15/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zettnatalie/YouTube: Flower in the River - A Family Tale Finally Told - YouTubeMedium: Natalie Zett – MediumThe opening/closing song is Twilight by 8opusOther music. Artlist
