1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff you missed in History Class dot Com. Hello, 2 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry and I'm 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: Tracy V. Wilson, and today is our continuation of our 4 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 1: two parter on Joe car Stairs. And I'm not going 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: to do a lot of rehashing of part one because 6 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: part two runs very long already, So if you haven't 7 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: already listened to part one, go back and do that, 8 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: or a lot of this isn't going to have context 9 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: to make sense. But when we left off in part one, 10 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:37,600 Speaker 1: Joe Carstairs had returned to Great Britain after a race 11 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:39,919 Speaker 1: in the US, and she had just opened her own 12 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: boatyard and East Cows with her mechanic. Joe Harris is 13 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: the chief engineer. The first project for this new firm 14 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: called Sylvia after one of those friends was constructing another 15 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: competition boat. This was the Estell four. So you might 16 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: remember from the previous episode that Joe had commissioned several 17 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: other boats, all named a Spell after her mother. She 18 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: realized that her mother was actually named Evelyn, but that 19 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: didn't bother her really, so she continued with the naming 20 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: theme of a stell uh Tall walls went up around 21 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: the Sylvia construction yard because Joe wanted no one to 22 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 1: be able to see what was being built, and until June, 23 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: when a Stell four was unveiled, the press would refer 24 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: to this project with names like the Hush Hush boat, 25 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: and when this new thirty five ft watercraft was revealed, 26 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: it was lauded in the papers as incredibly well designed 27 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: and just incredibly beautiful. Joe took the a Stelle floor 28 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: back to Detroit for the Harmsworth Cup. This time she 29 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: set a British record during the trials of sixty four 30 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: miles an. Things were looking really good for Joe in 31 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: this race, which was great because we talked last time 32 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: about several unfortunate incidents in her racing career. However, then 33 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: she hit a log and damaged the engine mount on 34 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: the boat. The universe was also not done with Joe 35 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 1: and her team because then the a spell for slipped 36 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: off the crane that was loading it up after the race, 37 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: which caused further damage to the boat. And so it 38 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: seems that the good fortune that surrounded Joe's early voting 39 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: races was really dwindling, and as her celebrity grew, Joe 40 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 1: was also at odds with her identity and her place 41 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: in the public sphere. So at one point, while giving 42 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: an interview for a magazine in October of n Joe 43 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: told the interviewer very seriously that if anything bad ever happened, 44 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: she would save her doll, Lord Todd Wadley first, uh, 45 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: for his safety. Wadley, who we talked about how she 46 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: got it in the first episode. Wadley never raced with Joe. 47 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: She always had him safely kept on shore. And during 48 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: that same interview where she was sort of talking about 49 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 1: how Wadley was really more important than she was in 50 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: some ways, she also kind of, uh, just as an 51 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 1: aside pointed out another woman that was present to the 52 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: reporter and she said, oh, that's actually Marian Carstairs. So 53 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: she was kind of doing this weird thing where she 54 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: was deflecting attention from herself to other people and inanimate objects. 55 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: It's kind of this it's kind of a window into 56 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: how she felt about being in the press all the time. 57 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: So this timing of her apparent unease with being in 58 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: the public eye even as she was relishing their adoration, 59 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: also was happening at the same time as a shift 60 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: in cultural attitudes. So the post war nineteen twenties had 61 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: really celebrated Joe's brash style and her unconventional life. But 62 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: a number of events took place in the last years 63 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: of the nineteen twenties that made those same traits that 64 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: had previously drawn accolades instead draw suspicion. First was a 65 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: backlash to a book that was published called The Well 66 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: of Loneliness by Radcliff Hall and that was published in 67 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: In this book, which is considered to be a trailblazing 68 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: example of lesbian literature, was actually banned, and newspapers ran 69 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: stories and editor reels about the pestilence of sexual inversion 70 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: that had fallen upon society and how this was evidence 71 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: of it. Second, the German silent film Pandora's Box was released, 72 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 1: which started Louise Brooks, and that came out in so 73 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,839 Speaker 1: a female character in this film named Countess Anna Geschwitz 74 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: had this rather vulturing approach to her sexual interest in 75 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: Brooks's character, and this continued the idea that lesbianism was 76 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: this dark and sinister force and was also really coercive. 77 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: If you are interested in learning more about like the 78 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: trends and how sexual orientation was portrayed, and film like 79 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: go watch The Cellula Closet because it will watch through. Yeah, 80 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: it's so good. And there's like a whole history of 81 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,599 Speaker 1: of like gay men and lesbians being portrayed as these sinister, 82 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: evil forces who were praying on young people. And third, 83 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 1: military man going by the name of Colonel Victor Barker 84 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: was indicted for bankruptcy in the late nineteen twenties. But 85 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: when Colonel Barker, who had a wife, was in police custody, 86 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: officials realized that he did not have male genitalia. To them, 87 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: he was not biologically male, and so Barker was charged 88 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 1: with provided with providing false information on a marriage certificate 89 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:25,359 Speaker 1: and consequently was sentenced to nine months in prison. And 90 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: this was huge news. It was in all the papers, 91 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 1: and it once again drew attention in a negative way 92 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: to any sort of sexual inversion or any sort of 93 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: fluidity on the gender spectrum. So, in addition to these 94 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: changing social perceptions of lesbianism, the Wall Street Crash of 95 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: nine put a huge damper on the party atmosphere that 96 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,679 Speaker 1: had made Joe's unconventional life something that people were really 97 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: able and willing to accept and celebrate. So the gayety 98 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: of the Roaring twenties was officially over, and as this 99 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: tie turned, the press started to take a more negative 100 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: tone when they were covering Joe Carstairs. Reporters started to 101 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: point out her various foibles that didn't align with common 102 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: perceptions of femininity, and whereas she had been described as 103 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 1: charmingly unconventional when she had been the press's darling, at 104 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:20,480 Speaker 1: this point, writers started to discuss how coarse she was 105 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: and how bad all of her habits were, and one 106 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: American paper called Lord Todd Wadley an absurd mannequin. For 107 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:31,040 Speaker 1: the ninety Armsworth Cup, Joe once again traveled to the 108 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 1: United States, and this time she took two boats, a 109 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: Stealth four, which had been rebuilt, and a Stell five, 110 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,839 Speaker 1: which was a new boat. She made it clear that 111 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: this third attempt at the cup would be her last 112 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: one if she did not win. The sport was really 113 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: too expensive, and she knew that not even her inheritance 114 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 1: would allow her to just keep doing it forever. She 115 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: had spent more than half a million dollars just on 116 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: the Harmsworth races, and once again the trials went incredibly well. 117 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: Joe even surpassed the speed record, which was held by 118 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,599 Speaker 1: the Americans, reaching ninety four point five miles per hour 119 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: in the Estelle five. And just for context, that's the 120 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: American speed record, not saying that that was the world 121 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: record that the Americans held. Uh. However, on race day, 122 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: once again, things just did not go Joe's way. Both 123 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: the Astell four and the Astell five broke down and 124 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 1: Joe was unable to finish the race. And when she 125 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: got back to land and got out of the boat, 126 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: she told onlookers and reporters, well, you'd better get a 127 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: good look at me, because I am not coming over again. 128 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: And the wake of her defeat, Joe told several stories 129 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: about events that happened in their and their travels. We 130 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: don't know which, if any of these stories are true, 131 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: but they're all. They all connect through this larger narrative 132 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: that Joe told of a fortune teller who predicted them. Yeah, 133 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: after all of these bad things happened, she told people that, oh, 134 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: a fortune teller before I even left London, told me 135 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:00,120 Speaker 1: these things were going to happen. Uh. And so this 136 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: alleged fortune teller told Carstairs that her rivals were going 137 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: to try to sabotage her efforts and kill her at 138 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: Harmsworth by forcing a crash, And while she had crashed 139 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: the previous year, in this instance, for boats actually didn't crash, 140 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: she had mechanical failure. The second premonition of the possibly 141 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: made up fortune teller warned Joe about a house fire, 142 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: and the house she was renting during her trip did 143 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: have a fire, and Lord Todd Wadley was supposedly saved 144 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: from said fire by a little boy who happened by 145 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: and saw the doll sitting like on a window ledge 146 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 1: and Wadley's rescuer, Joe told everyone, was amply rewarded with 147 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: all the ice cream he could consume. And news reports 148 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: at the time do corroborate this fire at Joe Carstar's 149 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: rented home, but she had framed the earlier one like 150 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: no one had been home, and this little boy saw 151 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: it and rescued her doll. But in fact Joe was there. 152 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: She actually helped firefighters as they worked to save other 153 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: nearby cottages. And there's no mention in any papers of 154 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: a little boy, you know, restviewing some precious item and 155 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: being rewarded. The third event that Joe claimed to have 156 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: been warned about by the sports and teller was a 157 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: car crash. As Joe and her group left their rented 158 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 1: house to head to the train station and then back 159 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: home to England, their car lost traction with the road 160 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: and spun into a ditch. Although everyone was fine. We 161 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:22,200 Speaker 1: don't have any corroboration of this story, so we really 162 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: don't know if it's true or not, but we do 163 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: know that when Joe returned home from the Harmsworth Race 164 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,320 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty, having vowed to never return to that 165 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: race again, her life had really changed. So not only 166 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: was she kind of putting away that one race that 167 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: was kind of one of the big ones that she 168 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: had been pursuing, but X Garage, which will remember was 169 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: the chauffeur service that was run entirely by women that 170 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: she had set up with friends, had actually closed in 171 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 1: ninet so at the time when it closed, she was 172 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 1: very busy with racing. But now she went home and 173 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: she didn't have that business to keep her busy, and 174 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,559 Speaker 1: two of her friends from that business, Bartie cole Claw 175 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,680 Speaker 1: and Joe and Recoron had gotten married since so it 176 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 1: wasn't like they could easily restart the business. They were 177 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,080 Speaker 1: busy with their new lives and and their husbands, and 178 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: so Joe raced boats in Britain for a little while, 179 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 1: but she really never regained the success that she had attained. 180 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: So early on we'll talk about Joe's next moves and 181 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: how she coped with this shift in her life. 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She actually threatened to emigrate, but instead 217 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 1: she set off with a friend named mAb's Jenkins and 218 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 1: her doll, Lord Todd Wadley, on a trip around the world. 219 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: In India in particular, was a favorite of Joe's. She 220 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 1: told people that she believed her father, Albert Carstairs, had 221 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 1: died there. She and Mab took up big game hunting, 222 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 1: shooting panthers and crocodiles, and they spent more than a 223 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: year traveling all over the globe, eventually picking up a 224 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 1: man from Sri Lanka as a guide and a servant 225 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: along the way. When the trip was over, Joe continued 226 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: to support her Sri Lankan friend for the rest of 227 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: his life. Yeah, I don't I didn't detail it throughout 228 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: the this outline, but I do want to point out 229 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,199 Speaker 1: that one thing that is consistent in Joe Carstairs life 230 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 1: is that she really did financially take care of a 231 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 1: lot of her friends. Like when X Garage closed, those 232 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: women that she had been friends with that she ran 233 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: it with, she continued to give them their salary for 234 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,680 Speaker 1: the rest of their lives. She would basically like any 235 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 1: friends that had worked for her, they pretty much earned 236 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 1: that salary forever, even long after they had stopped working 237 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: on whatever the project was. She really did sort of 238 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,680 Speaker 1: take care of people with all of her money, and 239 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: once Joe and Mab had wrapped up their travels, Joe 240 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: ended up kind of being um bicontinental. She took up 241 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,679 Speaker 1: living both in London and New York, and so in 242 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 1: London she and Ruth still shared a home together. Ruth, remember, 243 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: was her long term girlfriend that she had been with 244 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: for quite a while. They didn't have an exclusive relationship, 245 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:46,640 Speaker 1: but they were very close. And then in New York, 246 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: Joe lived with another paramore, Isabel t Pell and though 247 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: Ruth and Joe had always had this open relationship, Ruth 248 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: became incredibly jealous of Isabel and left alone in London, 249 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: Ruth really developed a pretty bad drinking problem, and she 250 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: began using and abusing drugs, and the relationship between Ruth 251 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: and Joe really became strained and crumbled to a great degree. 252 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:12,560 Speaker 1: And even with two homes to choose from, Joe just 253 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: really couldn't stay in one place and said she started 254 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 1: sailing more often than not, using her fleet to carry 255 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: her anywhere she wanted to go. She traveled to an 256 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 1: island five hundred miles southwest of Panama to Liok for 257 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:30,160 Speaker 1: buried treasure, although she did not find any uh, Yeah, 258 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 1: she had lots of little adventures like that. And you 259 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: may recall our mention of the Cunard liner Berengaria in 260 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: the first episode of this two parter, and that was 261 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: the ship that carried Joe across the Atlantic when she 262 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 1: was traveling there for the first Harmsworth Race that she 263 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: participated in, and she had been really really impressed with 264 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: this liner, so she decided to build a smaller scale 265 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: replica of it for her own personal needs. And Joe's vessel, 266 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 1: which was named Barnia, was a fast motor cruiser that 267 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: also had every possible amenity, including a dance floor and 268 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: a full cocktail bar. At this point, it was nineteen 269 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 1: thirty three, and Joe's life, which really looked charmed even 270 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: with the departure of her luck from her voting career, 271 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: it's actually something of a mess. She still had a 272 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: comfortable income from her trust funds, but she hadn't paid 273 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 1: taxes in Britain or the United States at all during 274 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 1: the nineteen twenties. This was bad. She was in trouble. 275 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 1: She eventually disclosed those close to her that she was 276 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 1: about a hundred thousand dollars behind on her unpaid taxes. 277 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 1: And around this same time, Joe saw an add in 278 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: an American paper about an island that was for sale 279 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: in the British West Indies, which was a tax haven. 280 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: So in nineteen thirty four she bought the island of 281 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 1: whale Key. She left behind her failed voting career and 282 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: her tax bill, and she moved to whale Key permanently. 283 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: Everyone to add theatricality to a tale, Joe said that 284 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 1: whale Key had really beckoned to her. She would later 285 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: tell people this island had a particular liking for me. 286 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: The land, which is now called Big whale Key, is 287 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: about nine miles long and about a thousand acres in area. 288 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 1: There were no roads on the island when Joe bought it. 289 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: She didn't bring any cars with her and she planned 290 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 1: to travel on foot or by dinghy. So the Bahamas 291 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: at this point we're really experiencing an economic depression. The 292 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: end of prohibition in the US had cut off the 293 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: alcohol smuggling trade that had brought quite a bit of 294 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: money in through the area, and immigration laws in the 295 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: U s were tightening, so fewer people were able were 296 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 1: able to move from the Bahamas to a place with 297 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: more lucrative potential, that being the US. Additionally, these islands 298 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: had been repeatedly just beaten over the course of several 299 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 1: years by an array of hurricanes and tropical storms, and 300 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 1: on some of the more remote islands, things were really dire. 301 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: Starvation was a very real problem for the people that 302 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: lived there. Of the sixty thousand people who lived in 303 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: the Bahamas at that time, fifty thousand of them were black, 304 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: but the ruling class was white and was cluss around Nasau. 305 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: Joe car Stairs was not the first white person who 306 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: tried to tame Whale Key. One previous owner thought that 307 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,879 Speaker 1: he would turn it into a seizel plantation hotel venture 308 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: tried to make it into a resort, but prohibitions and 309 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,200 Speaker 1: had then dried up the flow of vacationers who went 310 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 1: there to drink. And then there was Joe. That hotel 311 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 1: group had been the one that sold her the island, 312 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:26,880 Speaker 1: and she hired locals to help her clear a path 313 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: through the overgrown sizal to lay road, and she worked 314 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 1: right alongside them, though initially she felt like they had 315 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: trouble understanding and getting accustomed to this kind of labor, 316 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,480 Speaker 1: and she really felt like she struggled to establish her leadership, 317 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: but according to her, the men that she was working 318 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: with on this road came around when they saw her 319 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: take a snake's head off one day while they were 320 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: eating lunch by simply throwing a knife at it. She 321 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,480 Speaker 1: hired more workers to erect buildings. Then there were twenty 322 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 1: six miles of road that were laid, and soon a 323 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: store was in operation on the island. Joe paid the 324 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: men who worked for her four dollars a week that 325 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: women were paid three dollars, and Joe was seen as 326 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 1: a benefactor, and men and women from the other islands 327 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 1: of the Bahamas moved to Whale Key to look for work. 328 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 1: Before long, there were hundreds of people working to build 329 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: Joe's vision for the island. She had initially been living 330 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,199 Speaker 1: temporarily in the home that was originally built by the 331 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:24,879 Speaker 1: Sizele farmer, but it was in a really poor state, 332 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,199 Speaker 1: and what she was really focused on was building a 333 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:30,159 Speaker 1: much finer home called the Great House on another spot 334 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,120 Speaker 1: on the island. And the Great House had a Spanish 335 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: bit less style design with a red tile roof. It 336 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:40,160 Speaker 1: had five bedrooms, five baths, a cold room for storage, dining. 337 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,199 Speaker 1: Living in kitchen areas and a massive fireplace for cool evenings. 338 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:49,640 Speaker 1: So aside for the cat people, Joe brought a cat 339 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:51,719 Speaker 1: with her It's a whale Key really as a measure 340 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,439 Speaker 1: of trying to control Bourbon, and her foreman on the 341 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 1: Great House project making more also brought a cat because 342 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,879 Speaker 1: neither of these cats were spade or neutered. Soon the 343 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:05,159 Speaker 1: island was full of cats. Yeah, just one of those 344 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: examples of how quickly a population can happen. It's a 345 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: little invasive species kind of thing. Joe also rebuilt the 346 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:17,439 Speaker 1: lighthouse that whale Key, She cleared the coconut groves, She 347 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: had the area around the Great House landscaped with vegetation, 348 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:24,639 Speaker 1: and basically gave the entire island a makeover. A power 349 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 1: plant was erected, a school house, a museum which largely 350 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: seemed to be about Joe, and a greenery, and Joe 351 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,920 Speaker 1: was basically building her own little world on whale Key, 352 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:37,920 Speaker 1: and she then put up a wall around everything. While 353 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 1: she's most associated with whale Key, Joe actually bought three 354 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: other islands, bird Key, cat Key, and Devil's Key, and 355 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,679 Speaker 1: she also bought parts of two others. She set up 356 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 1: plantations for all manner of fruits and vegetables and even 357 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 1: peanuts on these other islands. And while Ruth and Joe's 358 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:00,320 Speaker 1: relationship had really dwindled to almost nothing at this point, 359 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 1: Joe did invite Ruth to come and live with her 360 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 1: in this new island paradise she was building, but Ruth refused. 361 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:08,399 Speaker 1: She just did not see the appeal of living on 362 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: an island in the middle of nowhere. Uh So, instead, 363 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,240 Speaker 1: Joe bought her a vacation home in Miami, and so 364 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 1: Ruth could go stay in Miami and then occasionally come 365 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: down to visit wale Key. Eventually about two hundred people 366 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: lived on Whale Key, although more had worked there during 367 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:27,080 Speaker 1: the massive construction surge. Once Joe's Great House was complete, 368 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: visitors came at a steady pace. Joe entertained all kinds 369 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:33,960 Speaker 1: of people, including friends who were similarly fortunate to have 370 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: inherited family money, famous actresses, even royalty. The Duke and 371 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 1: Duchess of Windsor stopped by in ninety one, and by 372 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 1: all accounts, Joe loved to entertain her guests. She would 373 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: either take them to see the island's many beautiful locations, 374 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,720 Speaker 1: or at least on one occasion, she convinced the locals 375 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: to feign an attack on the Great House so she 376 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,879 Speaker 1: could tell her friends that the natives were rioting and 377 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,240 Speaker 1: that everyone in the Great House might be killed. And 378 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: she played this trick just to watch her pampered friends 379 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 1: panic and think that these wild people were going to 380 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:13,679 Speaker 1: tear them apart. So many levels of offensiveness. Yes, it 381 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: reminds me of an amusement park near where I grew 382 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:21,280 Speaker 1: up that was called Tweets Tweets See Railroad, where when 383 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 1: I was a child there would be a mock attack 384 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: on the train that when I was a child was 385 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 1: always done by quote Indians. Joe had a steady supply 386 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:35,639 Speaker 1: of mistresses and she would eventually tire of each of them, 387 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 1: although she kept photos of the women that she had 388 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:42,760 Speaker 1: been involved with. Yeah, there's actually some debate about, you know, 389 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,399 Speaker 1: who was the dumper and who was the dumpy and 390 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: some of those relationships. Joe always claimed it had been 391 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: herd that had gotten bored and wanted to move on, 392 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:53,679 Speaker 1: but that's not always the consistent story told across multiple 393 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: people's recollection. Uh. Just as a point of note, the 394 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 1: next up, we're going to discuss Joe in the context 395 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: of the culture of the Bahamas, and we kind of 396 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: gave you a taste of that with her having the 397 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: black residents there feigned these attacks on the Great House. 398 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 1: But first we're going to have a quick sponsor break. 399 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: So one of the fascinating things about the people that 400 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:19,159 Speaker 1: Joe hired and how she treated them, uh, and it 401 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: really jumped out to me in the research, was that 402 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 1: she actually felt like women shouldn't have to work. And 403 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 1: for someone so willing to buck the expectations of gender 404 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 1: roles and do a great deal of work herself, this 405 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:35,040 Speaker 1: really is a bit surprising. But she said that if 406 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,639 Speaker 1: there weren't so many lazy men, women wouldn't have to 407 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,480 Speaker 1: go to work. In one particular arena, Joe really clashed 408 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:44,439 Speaker 1: with the customs of the resident Bahamians who lived on 409 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: Whale Key. Most of them practiced obie which is also 410 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:52,159 Speaker 1: pronounced obia by some folks, which is a was a 411 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: local religion, and Joe forbade its practice. This is especially 412 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: confusing to the locals because many of them thought that 413 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: her attached meant to Lord Todd Wadley was in many 414 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,920 Speaker 1: ways can similar to the sorts of things that were 415 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,280 Speaker 1: practiced in their religion. They thought the doll was basically 416 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,439 Speaker 1: her talisman, and some of them believed that it was 417 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 1: magical and possibly the thing that gave her so much 418 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,400 Speaker 1: confidence and power. Joe, who all her people simply called 419 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 1: the Boss, was also excellent at sussing out problems and 420 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,879 Speaker 1: knowing when people were being deceitful, which only earned her 421 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: more and more respect, and it also further this belief 422 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,399 Speaker 1: that she might in fact be able to practice magic. 423 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: She would hear grievances from people each morning after breakfast, 424 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:37,640 Speaker 1: she would issue judgments on the matters that were brought 425 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,919 Speaker 1: to her, and once she made a decision, that was 426 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,199 Speaker 1: it and it was settled. She really was the boss 427 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: of the island, and despite her own tendency to maintain 428 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:49,119 Speaker 1: this rotating assortment of lovers, she barred any of the 429 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: island's inhabitants from having sex outside of marriage. She'd also 430 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 1: insist that all couples be married. She usually performs these 431 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: ceremonies herself. Joe would banish adulters from the island, and 432 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 1: she also find men who beat their wives, even after 433 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: she got notice from Nasaw that she did not have 434 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: the authority to be doing that and that collecting such 435 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 1: fines was illegal, but she didn't care. It was her kingdom. 436 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 1: She even had a little police force that she set 437 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: up on whale Key, and that consisted of four men 438 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 1: that Joe had appointed. She armed them with sawed off shotguns. 439 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,679 Speaker 1: She also had a watchman who carried a machette, and 440 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 1: she never hesitated herself to serve as a protector of 441 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 1: her kingdom. In seven, Joe's long time on again, off 442 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,879 Speaker 1: again lover, Ruth Baldwin, died in London after collapsing it 443 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: up party. The cause of her death was probably a 444 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:43,200 Speaker 1: drug overdose. Joe immediately traveled to England via boat, of course, 445 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: and she spent the voyage drinking with her friend Tim Brooke, 446 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 1: who helped her manage the island and offered to make 447 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: the journey with her. Joe had arranged to have Ruth's 448 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 1: body embombed so she could see her when she arrived 449 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: in England. She and Lord Todd widely sat with route 450 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: with Ruth in a root whom that Joe had filled 451 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 1: with flowers, and they mourned. When Joe's visitation was over, 452 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 1: Ruth's body was cremated, and one of the reasons that 453 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: she spent most of that voyage drunk. Is that she 454 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:17,399 Speaker 1: had only packed pants for the trip, and women were 455 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: not allowed in the main dining areas if they weren't 456 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,399 Speaker 1: wearing a skirt, and so she and her friend just 457 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: were like, fine, we'll hang out in our cabin and 458 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:29,360 Speaker 1: drink cocktails. Um. So once they returned to wale Key, 459 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: Joe built an Anglican church on the island as a 460 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:34,720 Speaker 1: memorial to Ruth, and the Bishop of Nassau came to 461 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:38,840 Speaker 1: dedicate it in night. The Reverend Julian Henshaw was the 462 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,399 Speaker 1: minister of the church, and he was a man getting 463 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: into all manner of trouble, so unfortunately he kind of 464 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:49,439 Speaker 1: upholds a lot of the stereotypes of um corrupt church officials. Uh. 465 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 1: And while the Nassau Bishop was likely very happy to 466 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: be rid of him, Joe genuinely seemed to love him. 467 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:59,160 Speaker 1: Joe claimed that the tears that she shed after Ruth's 468 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,919 Speaker 1: death worthy she had ever experienced in her life. She 469 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:06,879 Speaker 1: also wrote poetry about loss, which she privately published in 470 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: two volumes that were commingled with work by another friend, 471 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:14,000 Speaker 1: Helen Vulk. While the poems aren't generally considered to be 472 00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,919 Speaker 1: especially good, they offer insight into the very real attachment 473 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,200 Speaker 1: that Joe had to Ruth, and even when they were 474 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 1: living largely separate lives, Lord Todd Widley, who as you 475 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:28,200 Speaker 1: may recall, have been a Christmas present from Ruth to Joe, 476 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 1: became even more deeply treasured upon among her possessions. And 477 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,879 Speaker 1: through all of this and all of the various things 478 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:41,440 Speaker 1: that happened in her life, Joe was ruling over her kingdom. 479 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 1: And at this point wale Key was sort of a 480 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 1: small country unto itself. It had a governing body that 481 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: consisted of Joe and her friends, which she had assigned 482 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,800 Speaker 1: to various posts of leadership. It ran like a government 483 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: in many ways. They had offices organized to handle various 484 00:26:55,880 --> 00:27:00,200 Speaker 1: needs and services, including a treasury. Joe insisted of that 485 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,160 Speaker 1: everyone on the island go to church every Sunday. Babies 486 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:05,200 Speaker 1: that were born on whale Key were brought to her 487 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 1: to be named and short. Whale Key had become kind 488 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:11,800 Speaker 1: of a weird monarchy, and so much so that press 489 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 1: the press got wind of the operation and wanted to 490 00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:19,119 Speaker 1: write stories about it. Both The Saturday Evening Post and 491 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: Life Magazine put the story of whale Key and Joe's 492 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 1: kingdom on their covers, and they lauded her for teaching 493 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: these islanders trades and for bringing the idea of education 494 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:32,160 Speaker 1: and self sufficiency to the Bahamas. And this bolstered whale 495 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: Key's image is a place of salvation for struggling islanders. 496 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 1: In some ways, with today's perspective, it's kind of like, 497 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,679 Speaker 1: that's kind of a white person's conceited approach to it. 498 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:45,480 Speaker 1: But it was an opportunity for people that were really struggling, 499 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,200 Speaker 1: and so the population of whale Key swelled to more 500 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: than five hundred nine. Joe started the Colored League of Youth, 501 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:55,679 Speaker 1: and that intended to improve the standard of living for 502 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,719 Speaker 1: the residents of the Bahamas. And while her intention may 503 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:02,680 Speaker 1: have been noble, effort was tinged with a certain conceit 504 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 1: of knowing what was better for the people of the 505 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:08,919 Speaker 1: Bahamas than they themselves did. The league's charter read, the 506 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:10,919 Speaker 1: rest of the world has a bad opinion of the 507 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 1: colored people of these islands. The colored people do not 508 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 1: prosper in the way that they should. They do not 509 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: seem to care or once to get on this must 510 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:24,760 Speaker 1: be changed. So that sounds not quite horrible. But then 511 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:26,359 Speaker 1: it went on to say that most of the Black 512 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:29,640 Speaker 1: Bahamian population was not very bright, could not be trusted, 513 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:35,680 Speaker 1: or we're just lazy. Yeah, there's definitely a very complex 514 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: dynamic at play here. Uh. This manifesto that she wrote 515 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:43,120 Speaker 1: for the League was really filled with positive advice and 516 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:45,800 Speaker 1: red Rick kind of urging people to try to be 517 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:48,200 Speaker 1: smart and clever and to have self confidence and be 518 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: moral and stay healthy and practice good hygiene. But there 519 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: was also a whole secondary political agenda in play. So 520 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: Joe was subsidizing farming for members of the League in 521 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:03,480 Speaker 1: an effort to make themselves sufficient, but she also wanted 522 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: to stick it to the white politicians who had made 523 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:08,720 Speaker 1: their money from importing goods that Carstairs felt could be 524 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:13,160 Speaker 1: grown there on the islands. But the relationship that Joe 525 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: had with the black population of her island property was 526 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 1: really complicated. There were some ways in which she saw 527 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: them as comrades, she also saw them as her subordinates. 528 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: She had this weird sort of colonialism that she set 529 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: up on whale Key. Yeah, it's kind of one of 530 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 1: those instances where in reading her biography it comes up 531 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: over and over, not just in this situation of race 532 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: relations in the Bahamas, but she kind of would have. 533 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:44,400 Speaker 1: She would get in her head what she felt was 534 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: sort of an idealist view and she would just charge 535 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:50,840 Speaker 1: ahead with it, even if it kind of was blindered 536 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 1: and didn't really take into account all of the moving parts, 537 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 1: and that it could be hurting the very people she 538 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:57,960 Speaker 1: was trying to help well. And she also wrote a 539 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: manifesto in which she called those same people lazy and untrustworthy, 540 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: but she could save them. That was I'm not I'm 541 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 1: not defending her as that, but that was her mindset, 542 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:10,520 Speaker 1: was that she was going to show them to not 543 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 1: be those things. Uh. But this did certainly get the 544 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 1: attention of Nassau's bureaucrats that she kind of wanted to 545 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: um cause trouble for This effort worked, but so much 546 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,240 Speaker 1: so that she actually received a warning from the House 547 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: of Assembly of the Bahamas that she should terminate the 548 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 1: league because it was likely to only incite racial discord, 549 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:33,680 Speaker 1: and so she withdrew the Colored League of Youth manifesto 550 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: from its government filing in nineteen forty and this was 551 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 1: sort of a startlingly acquiescent move, although she did continue 552 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 1: some of the practices on her own outside of an 553 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 1: officially recognized organization. However, just a year later, Joe Carstairs 554 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:52,640 Speaker 1: was once again riling up the government, this time claiming 555 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 1: that it was to blame both for the poverty in 556 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:59,320 Speaker 1: the islands and the high incidents of syphilis throughout the population. 557 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,240 Speaker 1: The government was so furious that her very public accusations, 558 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: I mean she made these statements in the press. The 559 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 1: members of the government were more worried about tourism than 560 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: these very real problems, that they started threatening to deport her. Meanwhile, 561 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 1: the remaining shreds of the Colored League of Youth that 562 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,880 Speaker 1: Joe had kept going through UH subsidies that basically she 563 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,400 Speaker 1: was funding out of pocket, had also fallen apart, and 564 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:26,080 Speaker 1: a new millionaire was infusing the Bahamian economy with money. 565 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: Sir Harry Oakes had arrived and he was building two 566 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 1: airfields on New Providence, and some of the whale Key 567 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 1: population actually left Joe's kingdom to work on this new project. 568 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 1: Others moved to the States when the US entered the war, 569 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,480 Speaker 1: Eager to fill the empty jobs there, Joe offered the 570 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:47,040 Speaker 1: British Navy her beloved boats Sonja two for service and 571 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 1: was turned down. After Pearl Harbor was bombed. She offered 572 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 1: it to the U. S. Navy, but her gesture was 573 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:55,840 Speaker 1: once again turned down. What Joe really wanted to do 574 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: was to join the war effort herself, but as her 575 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 1: half brother Francis Francis told her, wrong age, wrong sex, 576 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 1: Joe did manage to help by running a rescue mission 577 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: or two with her boats, and in nineteen forty three 578 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:14,320 Speaker 1: she found a way to be consistently youthful, as many 579 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 1: of the freighters that normally carried goods to the Bahamas 580 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:20,480 Speaker 1: had been conscripted into war service. She set up a 581 00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:24,120 Speaker 1: small transport company to haul bananas, sugar, rice, and rum 582 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:27,920 Speaker 1: from Miami, Haiti and Cuba, sort of in that circle. 583 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: But despite all of her efforts to help UH, there 584 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:35,320 Speaker 1: were odd rumors that started circulating about her, including hints 585 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 1: that she was secretly a Nazi sympathizer and that she 586 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:43,400 Speaker 1: was actually aiding U boats from wale Key, completely unfounded 587 00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 1: and false, but these weird rumors just kept growing. In 588 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:53,479 Speaker 1: Joe finally finished paying off her back taxes in nineteen 589 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:56,360 Speaker 1: forty six, she sold her island bird key to her 590 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,400 Speaker 1: half brother when she heard a year later that Frank 591 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:02,040 Speaker 1: was selling vegetables from his land back to the workers 592 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,680 Speaker 1: who grew them. She was serious, and she rated his 593 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 1: crops one night with several men and machetes to tear 594 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,360 Speaker 1: it apart, which also hurt the same people she was defending, 595 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:15,760 Speaker 1: but that didn't really seem to factor into her decision. Yeah, 596 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:17,920 Speaker 1: that harkens back to the thing I said earlier, where 597 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:19,880 Speaker 1: she would get these ideas in her head about what 598 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,480 Speaker 1: was fair and right, and she would take action on 599 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:25,000 Speaker 1: them that often was just as damaging as the thing 600 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 1: she felt like she was trying to fix. She also 601 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 1: took up flying briefly in the second half of the 602 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 1: nineteen forties, and it looked like it might be the 603 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 1: new voting for her. She really really loved it because 604 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:37,960 Speaker 1: of course it offered her a certain freedom, but she 605 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 1: was stymied in this new endeavor when authorities denied her 606 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,960 Speaker 1: a permit to build a private airport. As she moved 607 00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:48,480 Speaker 1: through the nineteen fifties, she continued to collect lovers, although 608 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 1: her health really started to decline. She really didn't want 609 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:54,280 Speaker 1: to admit that anything was the matter thore so she 610 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: often ignored or denied that anything was wrong, and by 611 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:01,760 Speaker 1: the time that I teen sixties rolled around, many of 612 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:05,440 Speaker 1: Joe's workers had left Whale Key, and those who remained 613 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 1: really didn't treat her with the same level of reverence 614 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:11,440 Speaker 1: that she had once commanded, So she just wasn't as 615 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:14,080 Speaker 1: happy there, and she started to travel more and more 616 00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:17,799 Speaker 1: and spend less and less time on the island. In Nive, 617 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:20,799 Speaker 1: she finally sold whale Key for just a little less 618 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: than one million dollars, citing the increase in drug trafficking 619 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,560 Speaker 1: is the reason for the sale. This was the second 620 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:29,960 Speaker 1: time in her life that she cried. She was heartbroken 621 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,160 Speaker 1: to leave the key. She moved to Florida and that 622 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,600 Speaker 1: from that time on she spent her summers in Sag 623 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:38,200 Speaker 1: Harbor and water Mill, Long Island, and then she would 624 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:41,600 Speaker 1: go to Florida during the winter months. As Joe add 625 00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 1: and became less physically healthy, Lord Todd Wildeley took over 626 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:48,319 Speaker 1: her dashing and rakish life, at least as she told it. 627 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,440 Speaker 1: She spoke of him being friends with Jack Kennedy. She 628 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 1: talked about him having parties and various girlfriends and even 629 00:34:55,280 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: an assortment of illegitimate doll children. Yeah. Yeah. She got 630 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:04,280 Speaker 1: progressively more eccentric as she aged, and because she wasn't 631 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:07,759 Speaker 1: super healthy and and active, and she didn't have that 632 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:10,320 Speaker 1: exciting life. She seemed like she filled in the gaps 633 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:14,000 Speaker 1: in her head. She eventually invited a man named Hugh 634 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 1: Harrison to move in with her. That was in ninety eight, 635 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:19,200 Speaker 1: and at that point she claimed she was done with women, 636 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 1: and Hugh stayed with her for the rest of her life, 637 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: although as a non romantic companion and also a paid helper. 638 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:28,560 Speaker 1: He gifted her with dolls and her collection grew, but 639 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: Lord Todd Widley was always her best doll love. She 640 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:37,040 Speaker 1: became weaker and weaker. She also made up a will, 641 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:40,920 Speaker 1: but then she revised it almost seventy times, basically constantly 642 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:46,920 Speaker 1: updating it to reflect her most recent state of friendships. Yeah, 643 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:50,200 Speaker 1: she seemed almost to be keeping score and tallying who 644 00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:52,799 Speaker 1: needed what based on, you know, the whatever had been 645 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:55,920 Speaker 1: going on in her life recently. I think I read 646 00:35:56,719 --> 00:35:59,360 Speaker 1: one statement that said something like for her to only 647 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:01,799 Speaker 1: revise her will like twice in a year was a 648 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: really small number. She just was constantly kind of making 649 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:09,080 Speaker 1: these revisions. Uh. And as she grew progressively more infirm 650 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:11,880 Speaker 1: in her early nineties, you know, she was just aging 651 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:14,520 Speaker 1: and her body wasn't as able to do the things 652 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:17,600 Speaker 1: it had once done, and she just was getting progressively weaker. 653 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,759 Speaker 1: But she really didn't want visitors. She didn't want any 654 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:23,439 Speaker 1: friends to see her in anything less than her most 655 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 1: commanding state. She's slipped into a coma on December eighteenth 656 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:31,800 Speaker 1: and died that night. She died with Lord Todd Widely 657 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:35,239 Speaker 1: tucked under her arm. Joe and Lord Todd Wildly were 658 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:38,960 Speaker 1: cremated together, and they're cremains were reunited with roots, and 659 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:40,759 Speaker 1: all three of them were placed in a tomb by 660 00:36:40,760 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: the sea in Long Island. And that is the long, 661 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:47,960 Speaker 1: two part story of Joe Carstairs, who is such a 662 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:51,000 Speaker 1: fascinating figure to me, and because of sort of her 663 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:54,640 Speaker 1: uh you know, her many accolades as a sportswoman, and 664 00:36:55,200 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 1: her incredibly ambitious set up of basically a whole kingdom 665 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:03,600 Speaker 1: unto itself, it's really sort of surprising that she is 666 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 1: not more of a common name. But I would. I 667 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:08,400 Speaker 1: can't think of a single person that I spoke to 668 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:10,560 Speaker 1: you as I was preparing this, which has been over 669 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:12,760 Speaker 1: several weeks that I've been reading her biography and talking 670 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 1: about it, that anybody has had any idea who she was. 671 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:19,120 Speaker 1: I had no idea who she was when you yeah, 672 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:26,200 Speaker 1: she's um. She was a fascinating woman. I just I 673 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:30,359 Speaker 1: can't imagine kind of the the grit and determination of 674 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:33,440 Speaker 1: someone who lives that life. And I consider myself a 675 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:36,440 Speaker 1: fairly determined and gritty person at times, but she just 676 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:42,319 Speaker 1: supersedes all of my inklings about what a really you know, 677 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 1: kind of bias for action UH focused person is. Even 678 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:51,120 Speaker 1: if she sometimes made missteps, she just was really astounding. 679 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:53,440 Speaker 1: And she's also a good example of how often we 680 00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:56,960 Speaker 1: get into a story knowing it's going to be interesting, 681 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:02,600 Speaker 1: like racing speedboats is going to being inherently kind of 682 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:05,680 Speaker 1: rollicking fun time probably, and then we get into this 683 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:10,000 Speaker 1: whole other layer of a weird colonial and pretty offensive 684 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:14,440 Speaker 1: kingdom set up in the Bahamas. Yeah, her biographer, the 685 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 1: part where she talked about he any babies being born 686 00:38:18,719 --> 00:38:24,600 Speaker 1: being brought to Joe for naming. Her main biographer mentioned 687 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:29,400 Speaker 1: how similar this was to the UH slave plantation practice, 688 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:31,840 Speaker 1: where babies had to be brought to the plantation owner 689 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:35,840 Speaker 1: to be named, and so there were definitely some weird 690 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:39,279 Speaker 1: race relations going on there. I was telling Tracy, like, 691 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:45,000 Speaker 1: I really think Carstairs wanted to work for the betterment 692 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:48,280 Speaker 1: of people, even though she had this weird racial bias 693 00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:53,000 Speaker 1: against them. Uh, it's very tricky and convoluted. It's you know, 694 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:56,360 Speaker 1: humans are unfortunately complex. They're not really always easy, and 695 00:38:56,400 --> 00:39:00,640 Speaker 1: they don't always see a situation in its bigger state. 696 00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:02,400 Speaker 1: They see their view of it, and it's hard to 697 00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:05,440 Speaker 1: kind of get the wider angle. So do you also 698 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:08,239 Speaker 1: have a listener mail? I do. This one delighted me 699 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:12,000 Speaker 1: so much because it is a postcard from Antarctica. It's 700 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:16,279 Speaker 1: from our listener Alex And it opens with question, what 701 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 1: do you call a penguin in the desert? Answer lost, 702 00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:22,920 Speaker 1: and alex And says, well, actually, technically Antarctica is a desert. 703 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:25,680 Speaker 1: But thanks for all the awesome research you put into 704 00:39:25,719 --> 00:39:28,760 Speaker 1: your podcasts. I'm an avid listener here at McMurdo Station, 705 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:31,719 Speaker 1: where I cook eggs, not penguin eggs, each morning for 706 00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:34,400 Speaker 1: the winter station population of around a hundred and forty 707 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,879 Speaker 1: five people. Fun fact, this postcard is being sent out 708 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:40,440 Speaker 1: on the second ever flight scheduled to fly to McMurdo 709 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:45,279 Speaker 1: during the Antarctic winter. A few uh medical evacuations have 710 00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:47,439 Speaker 1: occurred over the years, but it has never before been 711 00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:51,319 Speaker 1: planned due to aircraft restrictions of temperatures, the effort to 712 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:54,320 Speaker 1: maintain a nice runway, and the difficulties of landing a 713 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:56,920 Speaker 1: plane using night vision goggles in lieu of a well 714 00:39:56,960 --> 00:40:00,400 Speaker 1: lit runway from lots of lights. Only a decade or 715 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,440 Speaker 1: so ago, there was another neat advancement made in the 716 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:06,840 Speaker 1: US Antarctic Program of pioneering a land route for hauling 717 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: supplies to the South Pole station with modern tractors and 718 00:40:10,239 --> 00:40:14,080 Speaker 1: radar devices for finding crevasses. This traverse crew means we 719 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:17,000 Speaker 1: have to fly far fewer planes to maintain the research 720 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,680 Speaker 1: occurring at this The poll pretty neat to once again 721 00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 1: be going overland like Scott and Shackleton. History repeats itself. 722 00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:27,160 Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Alex, I love it. There are 723 00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:31,040 Speaker 1: gorgeous king penguins on the front of the postcard, and 724 00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:33,040 Speaker 1: I just love that we got a postcard from Antarctica. 725 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,680 Speaker 1: I had a friend that did research at my murder 726 00:40:35,719 --> 00:40:39,279 Speaker 1: station like a million years ago, so uh, super fun. 727 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:42,560 Speaker 1: I can't imagine living like that because I am wimpy. 728 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:46,640 Speaker 1: If you would like to write to us, you can 729 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:49,520 Speaker 1: do so at History Podcast at hostel works dot com. 730 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:52,320 Speaker 1: We're also at Facebook dot com, slash misst in history 731 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,279 Speaker 1: on Twitter, at mist in History at pinterest dot com, 732 00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:57,880 Speaker 1: slash mist in History, and at Miston History dot tumbler 733 00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:01,360 Speaker 1: dot com. We're on Instagram missed in History and you 734 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:03,880 Speaker 1: can purchase stuff you missed in History class goodies at 735 00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:06,960 Speaker 1: missed in History dot spreadshirt dot com. If you would 736 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:08,920 Speaker 1: like to visit our parents site that is house to 737 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,040 Speaker 1: works dot com. If you would like to visit us, 738 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:12,839 Speaker 1: you can do so at missed in history dot com 739 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:16,120 Speaker 1: for all of our back episodes, UH show notes from 740 00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:18,040 Speaker 1: any of the episodes that Tracy and I have worked 741 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:21,360 Speaker 1: on over the last few years, and the occasional blog 742 00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:24,239 Speaker 1: post or other helpful delight. So we encourage you to 743 00:41:24,280 --> 00:41:26,400 Speaker 1: visit us at house to works dot com and missed 744 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:34,040 Speaker 1: industry dot com for more on this and thousands of 745 00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:48,520 Speaker 1: other topics. Does it how to works dot com