The Rural Towns Project Podcast

Dax Jacobson
  • 5.0 (12)
  • PLACES & TRAVEL
The Rural Towns Project Podcast

In the Rural Towns Project Podcast, Dax Jacobson combines his day job as a business professor with his love for the rural American West he grew up in. He talks to the people who are actually trying to make a living in - and to the researchers, artists, and others inspired by - the rural towns of the American West. He hopes to help himself and others understand the past, appreciate the present, and positively impact the future of rural towns and the American West.

  1. 04/03/2023

    Bear Lake ID/UT: Part 2 with HannaLore Hein (Idaho State Historian) on the History of Bear Lake and the Development, Laws, and Legends (Bear Lake Monster!) of Water in the Bear Lake Valley and Beyond

    As promised, this is Part 2 of my conversation with HannaLore Hein (Idaho State Historian) on the history of Bear Lake. As usual, HannaLore takes us on a well-researched ride on the history of place as this time we talk about the actual Bear Lake and the Bear River - the largest river in the US that doesn’t empty into an ocean. It empties into the Great Salt Lake and we talk about how the Bear River watershed will play a key role in the future of the Great Salt Lake. HannaLore educates me on ...

    1h 2m

  2. 03/20/2023

    Bear Lake (Idaho & Utah): Natalie Randall (Executive Director of the Utah Tourism Industry Association) on the Transient Room Tax, Foreign Independent Travelers, Rural Growth Challenges, and All Things Rural Tourism

    In this episode, I chat with Natalie Randall, Executive Director of the Utah Tourism Industry Association (UTIA). Natalie and I talk about her interesting background in tourism and economic development and what brought her to her current position. We talk about life in Monticello and the thousands of miles she drives across Utah focusing on the the work of tourism advocacy and education for UTIA. Natalie explains the Transient Room Tax and the debates over how it should be used, the Tourism M...

    36 min

  3. 03/06/2023

    Bear Lake (Idaho & Utah): Mark Smoot (Owner of Epic Recreation, Bear Lake Lodge, and More!) on Being an Entrepreneur, the Importance of Collaboration and Relationships, and the Healing Power of the Great Outdoors

    In this episode, I chat with Mark Smoot (Owner of Epic Recreation, Bear Lake Lodge, Sunrise Resort & Event Center and more!). Mark and I talk about what brought him to Bear Lake as a second career and what keeps him there (he’s become a serial entrepreneur). Mark highlights the importance of community, collaboration, and relationships with employees, customers, business owners, and elected officials and how he uses the Bear Lake Chamber of Commerce (he’s currently the Executive Director) ...

    40 min

  4. 02/20/2023

    Bear Lake (Idaho & Utah): HannaLore Hein (Idaho State Historian) on the History of Montpelier (Idaho), LDS Settlement Strategies, Mercantile Owner Edward Burgoyne, and Doing History

    I’m taking a slightly different approach to podcast episodes as I work to align some of my professional and academic interests with my personal interest in the rural American West. Rather than focus on one particular town, I will be focusing on the entrepreneurial and small business ecosystems that exist in and around rural small towns. I’ll still be talking to historians, small business owners, entrepreneurs and artists but I’m trying to get a better understanding of the entrepreneurial ecos...

    1h 2m

  5. 02/06/2023

    Richmond, Utah: Shawn Milne (Cache Valley Economic Development Director) on Balancing Growth and Educating Stakeholders in Rural Cache Valley

    In this episode, I chat with Shawn Milne, Cache Valley Economic Development Director. Shawn is a friend and a graduate of Westminster College and one of the most interesting people I know. Shawn and I talk about his background as a small business owner and county commissioner and how those experiences inform his new role in Cache Valley. We also talk about the role of economic development directors, chambers of commerce, and higher ed. institutions in rural economic development. Shawn tells a...

    42 min

  6. 12/12/2022

    Richmond, Utah: Paul Erickson (Mayor of Richmond) on Richmond and Thoughtful Approaches to Public Service in Rural Communities

    Hi. It’s been a minute. There have been some life and work changes keeping me busy the last several months but the Rural Towns Project Podcast is back! I’ll be sharing this episode and one more focused on Richmond, Utah that were recorded earlier this year before moving on (and back) to Bear Lake (Idaho AND Utah sides) in the new year. So please stay tuned for even more episodes of the podcast and be on the lookout for updates on a slightly different approach I’m taking.In this episode, I cha...

    39 min

  7. 04/17/2022

    Arimo, Idaho: Cameron Blevins (Historian and Author) on His Book "Paper Trails: The US Post and the Making of the American West"

    In this episode, I chat with Cameron Blevins, a history professor at the University of Colorado Denver. Cameron recently wrote the fascinating and important book, Paper Trails: The US Post and the Making of the American West. I loved this book and was thrilled to have Cameron on the podcast to talk about the outsized but often overlooked role the US postal service played in the settling of the American West. We talk a lot about the history of rural post offices but we also talk about the Pony...

    32 min

  8. 04/01/2022

    Arimo, Idaho: HannaLore Hein (Idaho State Historian) on the History of Arimo and Stories about Chief Arimo, Turkeys, Cold Storage, Research and More

    In this episode, I chat once again with HannaLore Hein (Idaho State Historian). The focus this time is Arimo, Idaho and as usual HannaLore has done some amazing research. She shares stories about Marsh Valley, the Hudspeth Cutoff, Chief Arimo, the Fort Fall Indian Reservation, the General Land Office, Arimo Ranches, sheep and turkey grazing, trains, cold storage and more! We also talk about how HannaLore approaches doing research for our conversations and public history in general and she sha...

    58 min
See All (33)

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

In the Rural Towns Project Podcast, Dax Jacobson combines his day job as a business professor with his love for the rural American West he grew up in. He talks to the people who are actually trying to make a living in - and to the researchers, artists, and others inspired by - the rural towns of the American West. He hopes to help himself and others understand the past, appreciate the present, and positively impact the future of rural towns and the American West.

Information

  • Creator
    Dax Jacobson
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2023
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2023 The Rural Towns Project Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Rural Towns Project Podcast

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