A new way to learn history

In 2020, BECHS began a Podcast with KTOE, a radio station based out of Mankato, Minnesota. You can listen to past episodes below!
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Mankato Music Venues with Pete Steiner

 

Pete Steiner once again joins the Podcast to take a look back at the music venues that once were in Mankato.
Original Air Date: November 18, 2023

Mankato Music Scene with Pete Steiner

 

Take a listen through memory lane as Pete Steiner joins for this episode looking back at the Mankato Music Scene
Original Air Date: November 7, 2023

Kato Ballroom

Take a spin through the history of the Kato Ballroom
Original Air Date: October 21, 2023

The Red Jacket Trail and Valley

 

Take a look at the Red Jacket Trail and Valley!
Original Air Date: July 1, 2023

Blue Earth County Parks

Learn more about the county parks located in Blue Earth County.
Original Air Date: June 24, 2023

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Take a look at the long history of what is now Minnesota State University, Mankato
Original Air Date: April 29, 2023

Women in Medicine

Learn more about three doctors at the turn of the twentieth century.
Original Air Date: March 25, 2023

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School Sisters of Notre Dame

Discover the long history of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato including Good Counsel Hill.
Original Air Date: March 18, 2023

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Alma Wagen

Learn more about Alma Wagen, the first woman mountain guide for the National Park Service.
Original Air Date: March 11, 2023

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Lincoln School

Discover the long history of Lincoln School, now Lincoln Community Center.
Original Air Date: March 4, 2023

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Historic Preservation

Discover more about the National Register of Historic Places program as well as local preservation.
Original Air Date: February 4, 2023

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Local Radio

Learn more about the history of the radio stations in the area.
Original Air Date: January 21, 2023

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Camp Patterson

Learn more about the rich history of Camp Patterson!
Original Air Date: September 10, 2022

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Key City Park

Key City Park, now known as ISG Field has a long history in Mankato!
Original Air Date: Aug. 13, 2022

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Farmfest

Celebrate the long history of Farmfest which started in Blue Earth County!
Original Air Date: Aug. 6, 2022

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Lost Golf Courses

Learn more about the golf courses that used in be in Blue Earth County
Original Air Date: June 25, 2022

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Curling

Learn more about one of Blue Earth County’s pastimes.
Original Air Date: March 19, 2022

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Carnegie Library

Discover more about Mankato’s first public library building.
Original Air Date: March 12, 2022

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Sibley Park Dam and Lake

There once was a dam at Sibley Park and a lake for swimming!
Original Air Date: February 5, 2022

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Front Street – Brett’s

Take a trip down memory lane and Front Street including Brett’s Department Store.
Original Air Date: January 29, 2022

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Railroads

Explore the history of the rails in Blue Earth County.
Episode 46; Original Air Date: January 8, 2022

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Holiday Lights

Explore the different traditions of Holiday Lights in the area.
Episode 45; Original Air Date: December 11, 2021

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Mankato Streetcars

Explore the two different streetcar lines that ran in Mankato.
Episode 44; Original Air Date: November 27, 2021

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Union School

Explore the history of Mankato’s first school – Union School
Episode 43; Original Air Date November 20, 2021

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Mahkato Wacipi

Explore how the Mahkato Wacipi or Mankato Powwow got its start and the cross-cultural significance of this annual event.
Episode 42; Original Air Date: September 18, 2021

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The Hunt House

Explore the history of a local landmark: the Hunt House; today better known as the Moulin Rouge Bed & Breakfast.
Episode 41; Original Air Date: September 11, 2021

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Ott Cabin

The history of the Ott Cabin, now located in Mankato’s Sibley Park.
Episode 40; Original Air Date: August 21, 2021

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Rapidan Dam

Discover the history of a local landmark – The Rapidan Dam
Episode 39; Original Air Date: August 14, 2021

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Blue Earth County Fair

The Blue Earth County Fair has a long history. Learn about it here.
Episode 38; Original Air Date: July 24, 2021

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Minneopa State Park

 

Discover the history of Minneopa State Park, located just outside of Mankato.
Episode 37; Original Air Date: July 24, 2021

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Yaeger School House

Explore the mystery of the Yaeger Schoolhouse in Rapidan Township.
Episode 36; Original Air Date: July 10, 2021

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Green Gables Tornado of 1946

Hear about Blue Earth County’s deadliest tornado: the 1946 Green Gable Tornado.
Episode 35; Original Air Date: June 19, 2021

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Mankato Hospitals

From Tourtellotte to ISJ – over 130 years of Mankato’s hospitals.
Episode 34; Original Air Date: June 12, 2021

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Madison Lake Resorts

Discover the early history of Madison Lake resorts
Episode 33; Original Air Date: June 5, 2021

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1965 Flood

Take a look back to the flood of 1965 and how it changed the landscape.
Episode 32; Original Air Date: April 12, 2021

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Victory Highway

Explore this history of Victory Highway – the stretch of State Highway between Mankato and Mapleton.
Episode 31; Original Air Date: April 5, 2021

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Typhoid Fever

Hear about the Typhoid Fever Epidemic of 1908
Episode 30; Original Air Date: March 29, 2021

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Blue Earth County Historical Society

The Blue Earth County Historical Society started in 1902. Learn more about its history.
Episode 29; Original Air Date: March 8, 2021

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Seppman Mill

Discover the long history of Seppman Mill.
Episode 28; Original Air Date: March 1, 2021

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James Tinkcom

Explore the area of James Avenue (aka Tinkcomville) and Stoltzmann Road.
Episode 27; Original Air Date: February 15, 2021

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Mount Kato

Explore the history of a local landmark: Mount Kato also known as SkiHaven.
Episode 26; Original Air Date: February 8, 2021

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Marian Anderson

Discover the life story of Mankato’s very own nationally-acclaimed artist, Marian Anderson.
Episode 25; Original Air Date: February 1, 2021

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Honeymead Oil Spill

Learn about one of Minnesota’s largest oil spill, the Honeymead Oil Spill of January 1963.
Episode 24; Original Air Date: January 25, 2021

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Mankato Post Office and Federal Courthouse

Explore the history of a local landmark: the Mankato Post Office and Federal Courthouse.
Episode 23; Original Air Date: January 18, 2021

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Prohibition, Moonshine and Gangsters

Explore local Prohibition stories, including Gangsters, a Shady Lady and a drunk carp.
Episode 22; Original Air Date: November 2, 2020

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Mankato Street Names Pt. 2

Explore Mankato Street Names based on some of our very first settlers and the impact they had on the budding community. Part 2
Episode 21; Original Air Date: October 26, 2020

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Mankato Street Names Pt. 1

Explore Mankato Street Names based on some of our very first settlers and the impact they had on the budding community. Part 1
Episode 20; Original Air Date: October 19, 2020

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Pioneer Memorial Cemetery

Explore the mystery steps near Thompson Ravine that stand in memory of Rural Grove Cemetery and Pioneer Memorial Cemetery on North 6th Street; the location of one of our City’s heritage plaques.
Episode 19; Original Air Date: October 12, 2020

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Remarkable Men of Garden City

Meet the 10 “remarkable” men of Garden City.
Episode 18; Original Air Date: October 5, 2020

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Maud Hart Lovelace

The history of the Maud Hart Lovelace, the beloved Besty-Tacy series of children’s novels and the two local homes dedicated to the memory of the author and books.
Episode 17; Original Air Date: September 14, 2020

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Hubbard House

Discover the history of the Historic R.D. Hubbard House: the home, the family and the mill; all woven in the rich history of Mankato.
Episode 16; Original Air Date: September 7, 2020

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Blue Earth County Courthouse

The history of the Historic Blue Earth County Courthouse – a prominent building filled with over a century of stories from the top to the bottom.
Episode 15; Original Air Date: August 31, 2020

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Ellerbe Building

The history of the Ellerbe Building – it’s vibrant past that continues to serve as a community gathering space today.
Episode 14; Original Air Date: August 24, 2020

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Women’s History Month: Education

Meet two women that made history in education. Mankato’s first teacher, Sarah Jane Hanna, and higher education leader Julia A. Sears.
Episode 13; Original Air Date: March 30, 2020

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Women’s History Month: Law and Politics

Meet some of the women who made local history in law and politics, including Charlotte Farrish, Sarah Christie Stevens and Najwa Massad.
Episode 12; Original Air Date: March 23, 2020

women-in-history
Women’s History Month: Women’s Suffrage

The history of the 19th Amendment and the League of Women Voters.
Episode 11; Original Air Date: March 16, 2020

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First Presbyterian Church

The history of Mankato’s First Presbyterian Church and the historic 1857 bell.
Episode 10; Original Air Date: March 9, 2020

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Sibley Park World War I Plaque

The history behind the heritage plaque at Sibley Park honoring our county’s World War I servicemen and women. Plus one local woman’s lasting legacy to support veterans.
Episode 9; Original Air Date: March 2, 2020

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Spanish Influenza

Hear about the Spanish Flu Pandemic that ravaged the world from 1918-1920.
Episode 8; Original Air Date: February 24, 2020

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Riverfront Park

The history of Riverfront Park – the history of place, a city park along the River, from a Captains of Industry and Innovation to today’s premier event venue.
Episode 7; Original Air Date: February 17, 2020

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Highland Park

The history of Highland Park – the history of place, a city park on a hill, from a Civil War recruitment center to a Tourist Camp, to today’s neighborhood park.
Episode 6; Original Air Date: February 10, 2020

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Tourtellotte Park

The history of Tourtellotte Park: the history of a place, a city park, a pool, all named after Mankato’s first philanthropist.
Episode 5; Original Air Date: February 3, 2020

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Sibley Park

The history Sibley Park – a city park and gathering place for all ages. From horse races to Mutt and Jeff, to today’s Kiwanis Holiday Lights.
Episode 4; Original Air Date: January 27, 2020

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Washington Park

The history of Washington Park – a city park that once housed a railroad line and depot, Mankato’s first schools and churches; and today serves as a recreational space for a vibrant neighborhood.
Episode 3; Original Air Date: January 20, 2020

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Lincoln Park

The history of Lincoln Park – a city park that honors the men and women that fought in the Civil War, in one of the largest neighborhoods on the National Register.
Episode 2; Original Air Date: January 13, 2020

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1920 Mankato Winter Carnival

Discover an incredible community event that happened right here 100 year ago – the 1920 Mankato Winter Carnival.
Episode 1; Original Air Date: January 6, 2020

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