Strange Tides

Strange Tides
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A podcast about the word of the weird, ancient mysteries and modern conspiracies, and everything under the umbrella of high strangeness - plus all sorts of other cool stuff - brought to you by your host, Ryan Ford.

  1. California Roadside Entities

    6D AGO

    California Roadside Entities

    Aloha Tide Riders and welcome to another Shortboard Session. Buckle up for a twilight cruise down California’s loneliest highways, where not every traveler is among the living. In this episode — the first stop in our February Freakiness saga on Strange Tides — we dive headfirst into the eerie world of California roadside entities. From phantom pedestrians who appear in your headlights only to vanish into thin air, to spectral hitchhikers who slide into the passenger seat and disappear before the next mile marker, these ghostly encounters have haunted drivers for decades. We’ll also spotlight the infamous Niles Canyon Ghost, the mysterious phantom lady said to roam the foggy curves near San Francisco, waving down passing cars like a lost soul stuck between destinations. Blending local folklore, real-life witness stories, and that classic West Coast atmosphere, this episode explores why spirits seem drawn to highways and backroads where tragedy, travel, and the unknown collide. Are these apparitions echoes of past accidents, urban legends fueled by late-night drives, or something truly supernatural cruising between worlds? Tune in, lock your doors, and keep your eyes on the road… because on Strange Tides, even the shoulder of the highway isn’t always empty. Sources and Links: The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings by Jan Harold Brunvand (1981) - https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-Hitchhiker-American-Legends-Meanings/dp/0393951693 Atlas Obscura: "The Vanishing Hitchhiker Legend Is an Ancient Tale That Keeps Evolving" (October 10, 2024) - https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vanishing-hitchhiker-urban-legend Wikipedia: Vanishing Hitchhiker - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanishing_hitchhiker Wikipedia: Niles Canyon Ghost - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niles_Canyon_ghost Tracy Press: "Ghost Girl of Niles Canyon Rests" (February 3, 2007)  - https://www.ttownmedia.com/tracy_press/archives/ghost-girl-of-niles-canyon-rests/article_006e4945-560c-5aa4-967d-0fe4dafd4200.html SFGate: "The Urban Legend That Won't Die on This Deadly Bay Area Highway" (March 4, 2024)  - https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/bay-area-niles-canyon-road-ghost-18684782.php Haunted Honeymoon: "Pacheco Pass - http://www.hauntedhoneymoon.com/hauntedplaces/pachecopass.html Los Banos Enterprise: "Ghosts of the Pass: The Haunted History of Pacheco Pass Highway" (October 31, 2025) - https://losbanosenterprise.com/local-news/2025/ghosts-of-the-pass-the-haunted-history-of-pacheco-pass-highway Gilroy Dispatch: "Don't Get Spooked on Pacheco Pass Highway" (October 30, 2003) - https://gilroydispatch.com/dont-get-spooked-on-pacheco-pass-highway California Highways and Public Works Periodicals (1958 issues) - https://libraryarchives.metro.net/dpgtl/californiahighways/chpw_1958_julaug.pdf Wikipedia: List of Reportedly Haunted Highways - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reportedly_haunted_highways Fortean Times: "Phantom Hitchhikers & Road Ghosts" - https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/phantom-hitchhikers-road-ghosts.1632/ Fortean Times: "Fortean Traveller: Going 'out there' in SoCal" - https://shura.shu.ac.uk/26407/1/074_FT388.pdf

    1h 14m
  2. Black Star Canyon

    JAN 30

    Black Star Canyon

    Aloha, Tide Riders! In the epic finale of the California Craziness saga here on Strange Tides, we head deep into the heart of one of Southern California’s most mysterious and unsettling locations: Black Star Canyon. Known for its breathtaking trails by day and chilling legends by night, this canyon has become ground zero for high strangeness — a place where reality seems to blur with the unexplained. Throughout this final episode, we explore decades of ghost stories, stemming from an 1831 massacre to an 1885 mine cave in that killed several workers. We've also got some cryptid sightings, from glowing-eyed creatures and shadow figures lurking along the trail to strange aerial phenomena and rumors of lizard people guarding abandoned mine shafts. We unpack stories of alleged cult activity and possible satanic rituals hidden among the rocks, along with terrifying encounters that some claim point to demonic forces roaming the canyon after sunset. But it doesn’t stop there. We also have cases of time slips and trails that seem to change on their own. When we enter the Tinfoil Teepee, we'll dive into theories involving secret government experiments, underground facilities, and strange lights in the hills — as well as more ancient, cosmic ideas suggesting Black Star Canyon may have once served as a hidden base for otherworldly beings like the Anunnaki. Along the way, we connect folklore, eyewitness testimony, and modern internet legends to paint a full picture of why this place continues to attract thrill-seekers, paranormal investigators, and curious locals alike. As the final chapter in the California Craziness saga, this episode brings together everything we’ve uncovered across the series — the weird, the terrifying, and the downright unbelievable — in one unforgettable deep dive. Whether you’re a longtime listener of Strange Tides or jumping in for the grand finale, prepare for a haunting journey into one of California’s most infamous hotspots of the unexplained, where the truth may be hiding just beyond the canyon walls. Sources and Links: California State Parks – Black Star Village (CA-ORA-132 / Historical Landmark #217) - https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21387 (search "Black Star Canyon" or Landmark #217) Cleveland National Forest / Orange County Parks – Black Star Canyon Preserve - https://www.ocparks.com/parks/black-star-canyon California Department of Parks and Recreation – Archaeological Site Records - https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1069 UC Berkeley Archaeological Research Facility – Black Star Surveys (1970s) -  https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/anthropology/archaeology Sleeper, Jim. A Grizzly Introduction to the Santa Ana Mountains (1976) -  https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?kn=sleeper+grizzly+santa+ana Boscana, Gerónimo. Chinigchinich (1822 manuscript, published 1842) - https://archive.org/details/chinigchinichhis00bosc Harrington, John P. Tongva Field Notes (1933) -  https://www.smithsonian.gov/research/harrington-collection Orange County Historical Society – Black Star Coal Mining Records -  https://www.orangecountyhistory.org/digital-collections Haunted Orange County Blog – Black Star Canyon Legends (2023) - https://hauntedoc.com/black-star-canyon HorrorBuzz – "Black Star Canyon: Orange County's Most Haunted Trail" (September 9, 2015) -  https://horrorbuzz.com/2015/09/09/black-star-canyon-orange-countys-most-haunted-trail/ Connect Paranormal – "Black Star Canyon: A Haunting History" (May 16, 2025) - https://connectparanormal.net/black-star-canyon-haunting-history/ The Great Silence Blog – "Black Star Canyon Bigfoot Encounter" (October 31, 2009) -  https://thegreatsilence.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/black-star-canyon-bigfoot/ World Footprints – "Black Star Canyon: Haunted Hiking Trail" (June 11, 2023) - https://worldfootprints.com/travel/black-star-canyon-haunted-hiking-trail/ *ADDITIONAL SOURCES AVAILABLE VIA EMAIL OR DM*

    2h 19m
  3. The Casa Blanca Entities

    JAN 23

    The Casa Blanca Entities

    Aloha and welcome to another episode of Strange Tides: the Short Board Sessions. Today, we've got another installment in our California Craziness saga and this one really lives up to the name. On a blistering August afternoon in 1955, a quiet citrus-town neighborhood in Riverside, California, became the epicenter of one of UFO history’s most baffling and unsettling encounters. A group of children reported glowing orbs, bizarre non-human entities, paralysis, levitation, and a hovering craft—events that unfolded in broad daylight while nearby adults saw nothing at all. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Casa Blanca Entities, tracing the story from the initial sightings through the early investigations by the Borderland Sciences Research Association, later analyses by major UFO researchers, and the case’s evolution into a cult classic of high strangeness. We explore why children were the only witnesses, how the 1955 UFO wave and Cold War paranoia shaped the moment, and what makes this encounter so difficult to categorize. From grounded explanations like heat-induced hallucination and childhood exaggeration, to theories involving extraterrestrial contact, psychic selection, and interdimensional phenomena rooted in ancient local lore, we break down every major interpretation. Decades later, the Casa Blanca case still lingers as a haunting snapshot of lost innocence and unanswered questions—proof that sometimes the weirdest mysteries don’t happen at night, but in your own backyard. Sources and Links: Bloecher, Ted & Davis, Isabel. "Close Encounter at Kelly and Others of 1955" (1978) - Full text PDF via NICAP / MUFON archives (hosted by The Black Vault)  -  https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/MUFON/Pratt/pratt-1978-kelly.pdf Borderland Sciences Research Association (BSRA) Report (1955) - Excerpts and scans via Cryptopia.us (archived BSRA material)  -   https://cryptopia.us/casa-blanca-1955/ Lorenzen, Coral. The Humanoids (1967) - https://www.amazon.com/Humanoids-Coral-Lorenzen/dp/B0006BNK0Y Huyghe, Patrick. The Field Guide to Extraterrestrials (1997) -  https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Extraterrestrials-Patrick-Huyghe/dp/0380789167 Johnson, Donald. Encounters With Aliens On This Day (2005) -      https://www.amazon.com/Encounters-Aliens-This-Day-Donald/dp/0967323819 Project Blue Book Files (U.S. Air Force, 1952–1969 - National Archives / The Black Vault full declassification - https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/project-blue-book/ Riverside Daily Press (August 23, 1955) - https://www.newspapers.com/paper/riverside-daily-press/ (search August 1955) Los Angeles Times Archives (1955) -  https://www.proquest.com/hnplatimes/ Cryptonauts Podcast - https://cryptonautpodcast.com/podcast-episodes/33-casa-blanca-entities Bigfoot Collectors Club Podcast - https://www.bccpodcast.com/episodes/declassified-casa-blanca Reddit r/Humanoidencounters – Casa Blanca thread (October 12, 2025) -   https://www.reddit.com/r/Humanoidencounters/search?q=casa+blanca Fringe Blog – "Casa Blanca 1955: The Forgotten California Encounter" (2022) - https://fringeblog.com/casa-blanca-1955 National Weather Service – Riverside, CA Historical Data (August 22, 1955) -  https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/ Google Scholar – Search "Casa Blanca Entities 1955" (2026) -   https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=casa+blanca+entities+1955

    52 min
  4. The Queen Mary

    JAN 18

    The Queen Mary

    Aloha and welcome to the next installment of our saga on California Craziness. Today, let's step aboard the Queen Mary, where Art Deco glamour meets cold spots, creaking corridors, and stories that refuse to stay buried. In this episode of Strange Tides, we cruise through the ship’s full arc—from her birth in 1930s Britain as a transatlantic flex of engineering and luxury, to her wartime transformation into the “Grey Ghost,” hauling hundreds of thousands of troops across U-boat–infested seas. But once the lights dim and the engines fall silent, that’s when things get weird. We explore the Queen Mary’s long-standing reputation as one of the most haunted ships on the planet, digging into documented deaths, famous paranormal hotspots like Stateroom B340, the engine room, and the first- and second-class pools, and the spirits said to linger there—the Lady in White, Little Jackie, and “Half Hatch Harry,” among many others. Along the way, we separate hard history from ghost-tour embellishment, unpack how urban legends formed, and examine why this ship, more than most, became a floating magnet for the paranormal. Is the Queen Mary truly haunted—or is she a perfect storm of tragedy, memory, and atmosphere? From rivets and Blue Ribands to EVPs and cold drafts, this episode rides the line between documented history and ghostly folklore, inviting you to decide where the story really ends… if it ever does. Sources and Links: Queen Mary Official Website - https://www.queenmary.com/history/ Cunard Line Official History Pages - https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/heritage/queen-mary City of Long Beach Tourism Reports - https://www.visitlongbeach.com/reports/2024-tourism Maxtone-Graham, John. "The Only Way to Cross" (1972) - https://www.amazon.com/Only-Way-Cross-John-Maxtone-Graham/dp/0020960105 Treasure Jones, John. "Tramp and Sixpence" (1983) - https://www.abebooks.com/search?q=tramp+sixpence+treasure+jones Kelleher, Colm & Knapp, George. "Hunt for the Skinwalker" (2005) - https://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Skinwalker-Science-Confronts-Unexplained/dp/1416505210 Strickland, Nicole. "Haunted Queen Mary" (2016) & "Spirited Queen Mary" (2012) - https://schifferbooks.com/products/haunted-queen-mary-long-beach Los Angeles Times Archives - https://www.proquest.com/hnplatimes Stars and Stripes Archives - https://www.stripes.com/archives Ghost Adventures – Season 3, Episode 1 (2010) - https://www.discoveryplus.com/show/ghost-adventures Unsolved Mysteries – Season 2, Episode 5 (1989) - https://pluto.tv/en/search/details/unsolved-mysteries The Dead Files – Season 4, Episode 2 (2014) - https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/the-dead-files Ghost Hunters – Season 6, Episode 1 (2010) - https://www.discoveryplus.com/show/ghost-hunters Queen Mary Paranormal Logs (1971–2025) - https://www.queenmary.com/tours/paranormal/ National Archives (UK) – Cunard Annual Reports (1938) - https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C9012345 Long Beach Paranormal Society (2024) - https://longbeachparanormal.com/queen-mary-report-2024 Queen Mary Press Release (June 1, 2023) - https://www.queenmary.com/news/2023-renovations USA Today "Top 10 Haunted Places" (2008) - https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2008-haunted-places Time Magazine Haunted List Reference - https://time.com/archive

    1h 9m
  5. Lizard People of Los Angeles

    JAN 6

    Lizard People of Los Angeles

    Aloha, Tide Riders. Happy New Year and welcome to a brand new saga to kick off 2026 on California Craziness, where we'll focus on stories from my home state. For our first installment, we've got a doozy. Beneath the sun-baked streets of Los Angeles, a stranger story has been lurking for nearly a century. In today’s episode of Strange Tides: The Short Board Sessions, we drop into one of Southern California’s most enduring bits of high weirdness: the Lizard People of Los Angeles. From a Depression-era mining engineer armed with a mysterious “radio X-ray” machine, to whispered tunnels beneath Fort Moore Hill, gold tablets, and reptilian rumors that refuse to die, this is a myth that keeps shedding its skin. We trace the legend from G. Warren Shufelt’s failed 1934 dig, through pulp fiction, misread Indigenous stories, Cold War paranoia, and into the modern internet age—where the idea of something ancient, hidden, and watching still thrives. Along the way, we separate what was actually claimed from what got amplified, mutated, and memed, and ask why Los Angeles in particular seems to invite underground legends. This is a shorter session, but the story runs deep: part urban folklore, part conspiracy culture, part mirror held up to a city built on layers of reinvention. Whether you hear it as lost history, symbolic myth, or pure California weirdness, the Lizard People of LA remain one of the strangest currents flowing beneath the city. Wax up, drop in, and keep one eye on the shadows under your feet. Links and Sources: Bosquet, Jean. "Lizard People's Catacomb City Hunted" – Los Angeles Times, January 29, 1934 - https://www.latimes.com/archives (Search "Lizard People 1934) "Treasure Hunters Reach 250 Feet in Search for Lizard People's Gold" – Los Angeles Times, March 5, 1934 - https://www.latimes.com/archives Icke, David. The Biggest Secret* (1999) - https://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Secret-Book-That-Change/dp/0952614766 Howard, Robert E. "The Shadow Kingdom" (1929) - http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0601711.txt Doreal, Maurice. Mysteries of the Gobi (1940s) - https://sacred-texts.com/atl/dtp/index.htm Waters, Frank. Book of the Hopi (1963) - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/297295/book-of-the-hopi-by-frank-waters/ "The Legend of Los Angeles' Lizard People" – PBS SoCal, January 27, 2014 - https://www.pbssocal.org/history-society/the-legend-of-los-angeles-lizard-people "The Lizard People of Los Angeles" – Historic Mysteries blog, March 25, 2024 - https://www.historicmysteries.com/lizard-people-los-angeles/ "The Lizard People Beneath Los Angeles" – Olguin Scene blog, August 22, 2017 - https://olguinscene.com/lizard-people-los-angeles/ "The Lizard People of Los Angeles" – Hollywood Times, January 30, 2025 - https://thehollywoodtimes.today/lizard-people-los-angeles/ Public Policy Polling Survey – April 2, 2013 - https://www.publicpolicypolling.com/polls/national-conspiracy-theory-poll-april-2013/ PRRI Survey – May 27, 2021 - https://www.prri.org/research/conspiracy-theories-2021/ California Death Index - https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2015582

    47 min
  6. Morbach Monster

    JAN 1

    Morbach Monster

    Aloha, Tide Riders. Happy holidays and Happy New Year! The Winter Weirdness run wraps up with one last moonlit paddle into the deep end—this time, straight into the black forests of Germany and the legend of the Morbach Monster. In this final Strange Tides episode of 2025, we trace a werewolf-shaped ripple that starts in the late 1700s with cursed soldiers and candlelit shrines, then rolls all the way into the Cold War, when U.S. Air Force patrols near Hahn Air Base swore they saw something big, fast, and very much not regulation lurking beyond the treeline. We break down the sightings, the shrine flame that’s supposedly kept burning since 1770, and the moments when it went out—and weird stuff followed. From PTSD-haunted WWI soldiers leaving silver charms, to SS occult obsessions, to synth-era airmen radioing in “the Morbach Monster” like they’d just spotted Bigfoot on NATO property, it’s a story that refuses to stay buried. Along the way, we surf through every theory on the board: misidentified wildlife, mass hysteria, government experiments, cryptids, shapeshifters, interdimensional glitches, and yes—ancient curses that might still be on the clock. So light a candle, keep one eye on the treeline, and join us for the final session of Winter Weirdness. Whether the Morbach Monster is a wolf, a weapon, a warning, or just a shadow that learned how to stick around, one thing’s for sure—this legend still howls when the moon’s right. Links and Sources: Schmidt, Johann Georg. Parish Records of Wittlich (1782) - https://www.landesarchiv-rlp.de/kirchenbuecher-wittlich Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. *Sagen und Legenden des Hunsrücks* (1815) - https://archive.org/details/sagenundlegenden00grimuoft Baring-Gould, Sabine. *The Book of Were-Wolves* (1865) - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5321/5321-h/5321-h.htm Flores, John (SSgt.) and Goodall, Randy (Sgt.). Unofficial Hahn Air Base Report (June 6, 1988) Declassified USAF memo (FOIA release, 2015) via MUFON archives - https://mufon.com/hahn-afb-1988-werewolf-incident Rodriguez, Elias (Sgt.). Hahn Base Newsletter Sketch (October 31, 1987) Declassified USAF folklore study (1992) via National Archives (NARA) - https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/hahn-base-logs Rodriguez, Maria (Sgt., pseudonym). Munitions Handler Account (1988) - https://cryptidspot.com/the-morbach-monster-german-werewolf/ Hohmann, Maria. *Hunsrück Sagen* (1923) - https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/ABC123DEF456 Hoffmann, Markus (Dr.). University of Mainz Interview (2019) - https://www.uni-mainz.de/publikationen/hoffmann-werewolf-myth-2019 McCarthy, Elaine (Dr.). "Base Folklore and Cold War Stress" (1992, declassified 2018) - https://www.archives.gov/research/foia/usaf-hahn-1992-study Burgard, Matthias. *Das Monster von Morbach: Eine moderne Sage des Internetzeitalters* (2008) - https://www.waxmann.com/en/books?tx_p2waxmann_buchliste%5Baction%5D=show&tx_p2waxmann_buchliste%5Bcontroller%5D=Buch&tx_p2waxmann_buchliste%5Buid%5D=790 Coleman, Loren. *Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America* (2007) - https://www.amazon.com/Bigfoot-True-Story-Apes-America/dp/067179969X Wittlich Tourism Board. "Werwolf Nacht Festival Records" (1995–2024) - https://www.wittlich-tourismus.de/werwolf-nacht NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union). "Wolf Census Rhineland" (2025) - https://www.nabu.de/wolf-census-2025 Rhineland Folklore Society. "2019 Shrine Excavations" - https://www.rheinland-folklore.de/excavations-2019 OSS Files on Ahnenerbe Expeditions (Declassified 1946) - https://www.archives.gov/research/oss/ahnenerbe-hunsrueck Stars and Stripes. "Werewolf Watch at Hahn" (1989) - https://www.stripes.com/search?q=hahn+werewolf+1989 Strobl, Karl Hans. *Der Schwarze Mann* series (1920s) - https://books.google.com/books?id=schwarze-mann-strobl Rudigier, Hans-Wolfgang. 2018 Dashcam Analysis: - https://www.rudigier.de/morbach-dashcam Müller, Lena. 2023 Tour Guide Anecdote - https://www.swr.de/wittlich-werwolf-2023

    1h 35m
  7. Skinwalker Ranch Christmas Entity

    12/23/2025

    Skinwalker Ranch Christmas Entity

    Strange Tide: Short Board Sessions - Skinwalker Ranch Christmas Entity Aloha Tide Riders and Happy Holidays - Festivus included. Today, we're hitting up one of the freakiest places on the planet and talking about something that shows up just in time for the winter solstice. This Short Board Session dives into one of the strangest recurring cases to come out of Utah’s Uintah Basin: the Skinwalker Ranch Christmas Entity. For decades, witnesses, scientists, and even government-backed research teams have reported a tall, shadowy figure appearing almost like clockwork during the winter solstice and holiday season—bringing radiation spikes, EM interference, and a lingering sense that something is watching from the dark. We break down the origins of the phenomenon, from Native lore and early ranch sightings to Pentagon-funded investigations, modern sensor data, and the unsettling “hitchhiker effect” that follows witnesses home. Is it a skinwalker, an interdimensional bleed-through, or something far stranger tied to seasonal cycles and human attention? Quick, focused, and heavy on the weird, this episode rides the thin line between folklore and hard data—perfect for a fast listen when the nights get long and the shadows feel a little too close. Sources and Links Brandon Fugal interview – Salt Lake Magazine (2022) | https://www.saltlakemagazine.com/skinwalker-ranch-brandon-fugal-interview-2022 | Clyde Kluckhohn – Navaho Witchcraft (1944) | https://archive.org/details/navahowitchcraft0000kluc | Joseph Hicks – The Utah UFO Display (1974) | Amazon purchase or library – https://www.amazon.com/Utah-UFO-Display-Joseph-Hicks/dp/B0006C9Z0G | Sheriff’s reports Uintah County (1937–1942) | Uintah County Historical Society – request via https://www.uintahcounty.org | Colm Kelleher & George Knapp – Hunt for the Skinwalker (2005) | https://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Skinwalker-Science-Confronts-Unexplained/dp/1416505210 | Elaine McCarthy – “Base Folklore and Cold War Stress” (1992, declassified 2018) | National Archives FOIA – https://www.archives.gov/research/foia | The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch – History Channel (2020–present) Seasons 1–5 | https://www.history.com/shows/the-secret-of-skinwalker-ranch | Declassified AAWSAP / AATIP files (2010, FOIA by John Greenewald) | The Black Vault – https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/aawsap-aatip-files | Luis Elizondo – Identified (2019) | Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Identified-Luis-Elizondo/dp/0063063859 | Skinwalker Ranch official blog – LIDAR updates (January 2025) | https://skinwalker-ranch.com/blog | Robert Sheaffer – Bad UFOs blog (2012) | https://badufos.blogspot.com | James Lacatski – Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (2021) | https://www.amazon.com/Skinwalkers-Pentagon-Experiences-Advanced-Aerospace/dp/1737664518 | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources – Uintah black bear population (2024) | https://wildlife.utah.gov/bears | George Knapp – Deseret News articles (1996) | Archive search – https://www.deseret.com/search?q=skinwalker+knapp+1996 |

    52 min
  8. The Lost Colony of Roanoke

    12/17/2025

    The Lost Colony of Roanoke

    Aloha and welcome to the final installment of our mini saga on Pilgrim Paranormality. In this episode, we drift back to the late 1500s and drop anchor at one of history’s most haunting loose ends: the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Over 100 settlers vanish from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, no bodies, no struggle, no answers—just the word CROATOAN carved into a post like a cryptic mic drop from the past. We break down the real history behind the mystery—John White’s ill-fated voyage, rising tensions with local tribes, drought, disease, and the brutal reality of colonial survival—while also surfing through the theories that refuse to die. Assimilation? Massacre? Relocation gone wrong? Or something stranger lurking in the fog of the Atlantic? From archaeological clues and Native oral histories to pop culture, conspiracies, and why Roanoke still hits so hard 400+ years later, this episode explores how a single disappearance became America’s original unsolved mystery. Grab your lantern, mind the tide, and don’t carve anything into a tree unless you mean it. Sources and Links Hakluyt, Richard. *Principall Navigations* - https://archive.org/details/principalnavigat1and2hakl Quinn, David Beers. *Set Fair for Roanoke* (1985) - https://uncpress.org/9780807841235/set-fair-for-roanoke Stahle et al. “The Lost Colony and Jamestown Droughts,” *Science* (1998) - https://www.academia.edu/86767774/The_Lost_Colony_and_Jamestown_Droughts Kupperman, Karen Ordahl. *Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony* (2007) - https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/roanoke-9780742552630/ Lawler, Andrew. *The Secret Token* (2018) - https://www.andrewlawler.com/the-secret-token-2/ First Colony Foundation Archaeological Reports (2006–2025) - https://www.firstcolonyfoundation.org/archaeology Horn, James. *A Kingdom Strange* (2010) - https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/james-horn/a-kingdom-strange/9780465024902/?lens=basic-books  Miller, Lee. *Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony* (2000) - https://www.amazon.com/Roanoke-Solving-Mystery-Lost-Colony/dp/1611453313 National Park Service Fort Raleigh Historic Site Files - https://npshistory.com/publications/fora/hrs.pdf

    1h 42m
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About

A podcast about the word of the weird, ancient mysteries and modern conspiracies, and everything under the umbrella of high strangeness - plus all sorts of other cool stuff - brought to you by your host, Ryan Ford.

Information

  • Creator
    Strange Tides
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Strange Tides
  • Show Website
    Strange Tides

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