Sep 13, 2011

Episode 156: Dale Morgan Lecture: Will Bagley

Will Bagley presents his Dale L. Morgan Lecture: “The Sharpest Thorn: Life on the Boarderlands of the American West”

Zilpha, Will, Tom and John
Zilpha Larsen, Will Bagley, Tom Perry, & John Larsen

Thanks to Eddy Abbott Photograph.

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By John Larsen Uncategorized 28 Comments

http://argeiphontes.blogspot.com/ Hermes

That was great! Thanks for sharing with those of us too far away to attend in person.
http://argeiphontes.blogspot.com/ Hermes

That was great! Thanks for sharing with those of us too far away to attend in person.
http://argeiphontes.blogspot.com/ Hermes

That was great! Thanks for sharing with those of us too far away to attend in person.
Navybluesteph

Love, love Will Bagley.
Greatly enjoyed his account of the old days at the Church Historian Office. Will is a class act; his take on Mormon history is a good lesson. He values his Mormon heritage, celebrates the people and the history all without condemnation. Yet his paramount focus is on the truth. I love this healthy outlook. Will’s podcast interview remains among my top three favorites. Thanks for this one.
“Everyone has the right to tell their own history.” Excellent.
I hope Will’s prediction of the end of his own act is way off.

Megan

“Yet his paramount focus is on the truth.”

I caught this too, like a minor theme strung through the event – loved the quotation from Brooks that he gave! I also love that he gave such a nuanced and complex picture of historic truth, how dependent it is on surviving (and available) evidence, and how effected it is by the bias of the researcher. Really excellent.

Joe Geisner

Great lecture, thank you Tom and ME family.

I feel quite honored that I get to call Will Bagley my friend. Will is one of the most kind and generous people I know. Will is also one of the most generous historians you will ever meet. He is always helping others, much like the way Bob was commenting on Dale Morgan. No matter what side of the fence you sit on an issue, Will always extends a hand of friendship and help.

Recently I wrote the following to a Mormon book collecting group about the forthcoming volume “Playing With Shadow” and the Kingdom In The West series:

Once we have the other
volumes in KITW series, this time period in western history and place in western history, we will have
some of the best analysis of any period in American history. It can
stand with the Gold Rush, Indian Wars, Civil War and Revolutionary War
books as top notch history. I think Will Bagley deserves most of the
credit for this accomplishment.
Anonymous

Went to the live event a listened again to catch anything I missed. Thanks to the crew for putting it on. I stayed after for while to ask a question but decided instead to let Will go. I was wondering if he knew anything about part 2 of the Church’s MMM series. Is it going to happen? When or are they going to deal with the aftermath, coverup, trial, scapegoating of JD Lee and his execution?

Joe Geisner

From what I have heard … which means nothing, Richard Turley has signed the contract for volume two. I believe it was with Oxford again. I have heard that the book is finished and then I have heard that it still needs to be written. So take your pick.

Personally I think production of the second volume is a no win situation. Volume one answered all the faithfuls answers, which is that Young and Geo A Smith had nothing to do with the attack. For the rest of the world, well … it is an apologetic work that told us nothing new and blamed everyone but Young and Smith. The Church has won the war for the faithful with volume one.

I will be surprised if the book is published, but then I was surprised that volume one saw the light of day.

http://latterdaymainstreet.com/ Chino_Blanco

Provo Ponzi scheme? Rabble-rouser.

Anonymous

http://mormonexpression.com/about-the-podcast/

Anonymous

Whoops! Replied to the wrong comment.

MJL

Cool! A photo! Now I can put some faces to the voices.

Anonymous

http://mormonexpression.com/about-the-podcast/

http://www.facebook.com/fred.w.anson Fred W. Anson

Try as I may I can never seem to get enough Will Bagley! Thank you for this, wonderful podcast.

And for those interested, Will Bagley’s appearance with fellow historian David Bigler on KUER’s “Radio West” is not to be missed:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuer/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1794598

Anonymous

I agree. That was a great interview.

http://www.facebook.com/fred.w.anson Fred W. Anson

I liked it so much that I bought the CD. I wish that I had half the scholarly skills of Bagley and Bigler!
http://www.facebook.com/fred.w.anson Fred W. Anson

I liked it so much that I bought the CD. I wish that I had half the scholarly skills of Bagley and Bigler!

http://www.facebook.com/fred.w.anson Fred W. Anson

Oh, and I forgot, KUER did a more recent interview with Will earlier this month:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuer/news.newsmain/article/184/0/1847727/RadioWest.(M-F..11AM..and..7PM)/9611.Blazing.the.Trails.Westward
http://www.facebook.com/fred.w.anson Fred W. Anson

Oh, and I forgot, KUER did a more recent interview with Will earlier this month:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuer/news.newsmain/article/184/0/1847727/RadioWest.(M-F..11AM..and..7PM)/9611.Blazing.the.Trails.Westward

Gary Bergera

Will Bagley is definitely a one-of-a-kind treasure. Does he have plans to publish his talk?
Jason

My experience in learning about Brigham Young parallels Will Bagley’s. The more I learn about the guy the less respect I can maintain. BY’s diversion of rescue forces for the Martin Handcart company to retrieve his alcohol was a new one to me. I’d be curious to read more about this incident. Does anyone know of some reading materials on this?

http://www.facebook.com/fred.w.anson Fred W. Anson

Ditto. The using rescue forces to retrieve his booze and steam engine was a new one for me too.

Doe anyone have any sources on this one?

http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-Ferguson/567633203 Don Ferguson

First heard Will Bagley on Radio West, he’s been on a few times and I
always love hearing him speak. I wish I’d made it to the lecture, but
thanks for the podcast!

It sounded like there might be an ongoing Dale L. Morgan lecture series?
I’m looking forward to more great things from Mormon Expression!
Thanks!
Don Ferguson

First heard Will Bagley on Radio West, he’s been on a few times and I
always love hearing him speak. I wish I’d made it to the lecture, but
thanks for the podcast!

It sounded like there might be an ongoing Dale L. Morgan lecture series?
I’m looking forward to more great things from Mormon Expression!
Thanks!
Anonymous

First heard Will Bagley on Radio West, he’s been on a few times and I
always love hearing him speak. I wish I’d made it to the lecture, but
thanks for the podcast!

It sounded like there might be an ongoing Dale L. Morgan lecture series?
I’m looking forward to more great things from Mormon Expression!
Thanks!
notknowingbeforehand

“When at the site of a mass murder, the point of view of the murderers is made invalid by the cold-blooded nature of the crime. The perpetrators of such a heinous act forever abdicate their right to be understood when interpreting the historic site. Germans suffered terribly under the onerous terms of the Versailles treaty, but we never bring that up at Auschwitz. That would be a tasteless afront to the victimes of mass murder.”
notknowingbeforehand

“The oldest guy wins strategy is not a model for dynamic leadership”
Randy Snyder

Awesome podcast. Nice to see that someone w more access to history than me has the same allergic reaction to the true assholiness of the man Brigham as me. Plus Will’s a naturalist. Wish I was there to meet him and I wish he’d do a biography of Brigham showing what a disgusting human being he was. I hate that my BS bares his name. It’s my only degree not on display on my office wall…