Special Guest Allison Gill of the Daily Beans, Unjustified, Cleanup on Aisle 45, and founder of MSW Media!

This week, Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is going full “wild west,” with a scandal that spans four decades, features millionaire tycoons, U.S. senators, railroad barons, and—because history is never normal—a belly dancer called “Little Egypt.”

Shea takes us deep into the late-1800s timber boom, where public land laws like the Homestead Act and the Timber & Stone Act were exploited so thoroughly that the “American Dream” basically became: “steal from the government, call it business.”

Joining Shea and Jody for this chaos is special guest Allison Gill—host of The Daily Beans and the head of MSW Media—who brings her trademark sharp political insight (plus swearing, jokes, and the occasional Eddie Izzard reference) to a scandal where everyone involved is conveniently already dead.

And big news: Rainy Day Rabbit Holes has officially joined Allison’s network, MSW Media! We’re beyond excited to be part of the MSW Media family and can’t wait to share even more weird, messy, unhinged history with an even bigger community of listeners.

If you’ve ever wondered how people pulled off land fraud before the internet (or indoor plumbing), buckle up: this episode has bribes, fake homesteads, corrupt officials, and indictments by the thousand.

Check out the rest of our episodes and our bonus content available on Patreon! Head on over to www.rainydayrabbitholes.com

How One Man Drowned San Diego.

What if someone promised to make it rain—and you believed them?

In the early 1900s, Charles Hatfield went from selling sewing machines door to door to pitching American cities on an impossible idea: that he could manufacture rainfall using a secret chemical process. Farmers hired him. Towns paid him. And rain seemed to follow wherever he went.

Then San Diego made a deal.

Facing an extreme drought and mounting pressure as it prepared for a major world exposition, city leaders took a gamble on Hatfield’s “no rain, no pay” promise. What followed was not relief—but chaos. Rain fell. Then more rain. Then flooding, collapsing infrastructure, and a disaster that would permanently change the city.

In this episode, Jody walks Shea through:

• How Hatfield built his reputation as The Rainmaker
• Why early 20th-century America was primed to believe him
• The thin line between innovation, coincidence, and catastrophe
• And the legal and moral fallout that lasted more than 20 years

Did Hatfield actually make it rain?

Or was he simply very good at predicting when nature was already about to unleash itself?

The answer isn’t as simple—or as comforting—as you might think.

Today we have a huge announcement! Rainy Day Rabbit Holes has joined the MSW Media Network! We are so excited for this new partnership. We will continue to bring you all of the juicy and unhinged history that you have grown to love, but now with 25% more politicians behaving badly!

Also, if you haven't heard about it yet, we cover the story of the Columbia outdoor wear company offering its assets to anyone who can provide a photo of the edge of the earth. #expeditionimpossible

https://youtu.be/JxJOAsTMC6w

Go check out our website at www.rainydayrabbitholes.com, and check out the other great podcasts at MSW Media! www.mswmedia.com