Bonus Sample from our Patreon Bonus Episode!

Today, Shea brings you the history of the Nakasendo trail, a 400 year old road that stretches from Kyoto to Tokyo. Sections of this trail, and the towns that were built up along it to provide services to the feudal lords and samurai who used it, are perfectly preserved. Hiking through Tsumago-juku and Magome-juku is like time travel. In this episode, walk along with Shea as she and her brother hike over 13 miles through bamboo forests along the iconic Nakasendo trail.

If you want to hear how it ends, head on over to rainydayrabbitholes.com to check out our Patreon! For just $5 per month you get bonus content, ad-free and early episodes, and so much more!

Arizona is known for deserts, dust, and dramatic sunsets—not naval warfare. And yet, in 1934, the state of Arizona very briefly assembled an honest-to-God navy and aimed it straight at California. In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, we dive into one of the strangest interstate standoffs in U.S. history, where water rights, political grudges, and pure stubbornness collided on the Colorado River.

At the center of the chaos is Parker Dam, a massive federal project straddling the Arizona–California border, and a decades-long fight over who gets to control the river that keeps the Southwest alive. When Arizona decided California had gone too far, the governor responded with troops, martial law, and commandeered ferry boats. Yes—ferry boats. Thus, the Arizona Navy was born.

Newspapers mocked it. California scoffed. Arizona doubled down. For 48 unforgettable hours, a landlocked state patrolled the river with armed guards and a newly appointed admiral, proving once and for all that when it comes to water, Arizona does not play nice. The outcome was short-lived, deeply ironic, and somehow still echoing into modern water politics.

This episode is a perfect snapshot of unhinged history: equal parts political drama, regional rivalry, and “wait…that really happened?” If you like stories where reality outdoes satire, you’re in the right rabbit hole.

For more episodes, photos, and sources, visit www.rainydayrabbitholes.com.

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Huge thanks to Letha Davis for building our beautiful website. If you love how Rainy Day Rabbit Holes looks online, you can have your own site built by Letha at www.easybrzy.com.

Step into one of the most jaw‑dropping survival stories in American history — a tale so wild that even The Revenant barely scratched the surface. In this episode, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes unpacks the chaotic, violent, and strangely cinematic life of Hugh Glass: sailor, pirate captive, adopted Pawnee tribesman, frontier scout, and the man who simply refused to die.

Before Glass ever met the grizzly that made him famous, he’d already survived pirate raids, shark‑infested waters, and a ceremonial execution that claimed the life of his companion. But nothing compares to what happened next: a brutal bear attack, a desperate betrayal, and a crawl across hundreds of miles of unforgiving wilderness with nothing but a bear hide and sheer spite to keep him alive.

We explore the messy historical record, the tall tales Glass told about himself, and the parts of his story that are so extreme they feel like folklore. If you think you know the Hugh Glass story because you’ve seen the movie — think again. This is the unfiltered, unhinged version.

Perfect for fans of frontier history, survival epics, pirate lore, and the kind of stories that make you say, “There’s no way that actually happened”… except it did.

Check out our website at rainydayrabbitholes.com for episode guides, sources, and more. Want more Unhinged History? Join us on Patreon for ad‑free and early episodes, plus bonus content you won’t hear anywhere else. Big thanks to Letha Davis at easybrzy.com for our beautiful website. Proud member of MSW Media.

Chapters

00:00 The Grizzly Bear Encounter

02:13 Hugh Glass: The Man Behind the Legend

12:52 Survival Skills and the Pawnee Tribe

24:04 The Bear Attack: A Fight for Life

35:12 The Quest for Revenge

41:23 The Real Story vs. Hollywood's Adaptation