It's Worth Mentioning

A podcast for trivia buffs and history nerds that takes listeners back in time. Each episode features a guest or topic that's tied to Idaho's past.

It's Worth Mentioning is a history podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 47 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts It's Worth Mentioning, a history show with 47 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #25

  The Teton Dam disaster was connected to more history than you ever imagined

  Aug 17, 202640 minS2

  Fifty years after the collapse of the Teton Dam, a new book shows how this iconic moment in eastern Idaho is connected to other historic events. Nathaniel Gee, author of “Faith and Fortitude: How Faith, Politics and Power Shaped the Teton Dam Disaster,” returns to the podcast for a fascinating discussion. RELATED | Remembering the Teton Dam collapse: Inside the failure and fight to rebuild In this episode of “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Gee kicks off the conversation by discussing the timing of the disaster. Just before noon on June 5, 1976, the dam failed, releasing 80 billion gallons of water into eastern Idaho. Communities from Rexburg to Blackfoot were impacted; 11 people were killed, along with 13,000 head of livestock. Many were made homeless by the disaster, and tens of thousands of acres of land were destroyed or heavily damaged. The estimated cost of the damage was around $2 billion — around $11 billion in today’s dollars. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — which built the dam — spent the next 11 years compensating those who were affected. The total amount was around $400 million — less than the estimated cost. Gee says that if the flood had happened 24 hours earlier, he wouldn’t have been here to write the book. He weaves a tale that begins with the settlement of the West, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pioneers’ migration to the Salt Lake Valley. In those early days, the church practiced polygamy, which Gee says has a connection to the construction of the Teton Dam. On Sept. 11, 1857, dozens of church members took part in the massacre of 120 immigrants in southern Utah traveling by wagon train, according to the church’s website . The incident — which is also tied to the Teton Dam — took place in a valley called Mountain Meadows and is known today as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The historical connections will astound you! RELATED | Caught in history: The untold story behind an iconic Teton Dam photo Although we’ve covered the Teton Dam disaster before, this is an angle you’ve never heard, and you don’t want to miss it! To learn more, get a copy of the book here . RELATED | Voices from the flood: Survivors reflect on the Teton Dam collapse Watch previous episodes of “It’s Worth Mentioning” here . Check out the show on Facebook . If you have a tip, guest idea, or comment, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

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  Episode #24

  The story behind Idaho Falls’ 45-year friendship with this Japanese village

  Aug 10, 20261 hourS2

  More than a decade after the end of World War II, President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded Sister Cities International, a program aimed at promoting peace, cultural understanding, educational exchanges, and economic cooperation. It was 1956. The war came to an end in 1945 after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, but American hostility towards the Japanese remained. The five-star general — who was given unprecedented command of all Allied forces during World War II — believed that personal connections between ordinary citizens could help prevent future conflicts. Idaho Falls and Tokai-Mura, Japan, have been Sister Cities since 1981. RELATED | Once enemies in war, Idaho Falls marks 45 years of friendship with Japanese Sister City As of 2026, the two cities are celebrating 45 years of friendship. They have exchanged visitors through the years. A student delegation from Tokai-Mura recently completed a 10-day trip to the Idaho Falls area. This week on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” we’re taking a look at the history of the Sister City program in Idaho Falls and the decades of hostility that existed for decades after the war. Rett Nelson is joined by two guests — the first is Laura Combs, president of the Idaho Falls Sister Cities Youth program. She will discuss the city’s long association with Tokai-Mura, how it started and how she came to Idaho Falls and got involved in the program. RELATED | An ‘abuse of the US Constitution’ brought him to eastern Idaho. Why his son wants you to know about it Then, Jon Ochi, a longtime Idaho Falls resident of Japanese descent, speaks with Rett Nelson about his father, Fred Ochi. Fred lived in Idaho Falls during World War II. Jon shares some of his dad’s experiences and what life was like for the Japanese community. RELATED | 37 Japanese Americans who resisted WWII draft focus of new Museum of Idaho exhibit RELATED | Balloon bomb that landed in Rigby nearly 80 years ago was a failed attempt to terrorize America RELATED | How the Idaho Falls Friendship Garden was formed and became a popular gathering place This chapter from eastern Idaho’s past isn’t discussed in school or found in history books. It’s a fascinating conversation you don’t want to miss! To learn more or get involved in the Sister Cities youth program, click here . Watch previous episodes of “It’s Worth Mentioning” here . Check out the show on Facebook . If you have a tip, guest idea or comment, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

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  Episode #12

  REBROADCAST | The rise and ruin of Idaho’s lost gold town

  Aug 3, 202632 minS1

  EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode originally aired on Dec. 7, 2025. Gold had been discovered in the Sawtooth Mountains. It was 1879, thirty years after the California Gold Rush, and dozens of people from the southern United States had come to central Idaho seeking their fortune. Samuel Holman was an attorney who filed one of the first gold claims in the area. He laid out the plots for a community to establish a mine. Soon after, the townsite of Custer — named for Civil War General George Armstrong Custer — was born. Over the next 31 years, the small community attracted more than 300 people. By 1910, the town folded and quickly faded into history. By the 1960s, it was a historic site managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Today, the old ghost town is managed by a nonprofit called The Land of the Yankee Fork Historical Association . Custer Days, an annual event held on the second Saturday in July, attracts a large crowd every year for tours and reenactments. Thousands of tourists visit the site every summer. On this episode of “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Rett Nelson makes a trip to Custer and interviews Diane Davidson, chair of the Land of the Yankee Fork Historical Association. She has ancestral ties to the area dating back seven generations. They discuss the rise and fall of the short-lived community and the reasons behind it. They also get into the people and players involved in its founding, those who lived in Custer during its heyday, and what daily life was like. Later, they talk about what led to the town’s closure and its rediscovery three decades later. RELATED | Idaho’s newest state park had its grand opening this weekend Idaho’s newest state park, Twin Peaks Ranch State Park, had its grand opening earlier this summer. It’s near Custer, which makes this a timely episode to revisit. Visit the town’s Facebook page for regular updates and stories about the town’s history. Watch previous episodes of “It’s Worth Mentioning” here . Check out the show on Facebook . If you have a tip, guest idea, or comment, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

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  Episode #23

  Trump praised Idaho. So why is his DOJ suing the state?

  Jul 27, 202635 minS2

  Although the state of Idaho is involved in a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice about noncitizen voting concerns, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane says they have a great relationship with the Trump Administration. Earlier this year, Idaho was one of 29 states that was sued by the Justice Department. It’s part of the Trump Administration’s agenda to crack down on election fraud. The goal of the lawsuit is to learn whether noncitizens were being allowed to vote. RELATED | Idaho secretary of state won’t give US Justice Department sensitive voter information This week on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Rett Nelson speaks with McGrane about the latest on this case and how it began. RELATED | Trump administration sues Idaho election official to force him to turn over sensitive voter data McGrane shares some insights that aren’t necessarily covered in media reports and clears up misconceptions about the subject of noncitizen voting. RELATED | Trump administration threatens to criminally prosecute Idaho election officials if noncitizens vote RELATED | ‘Stop threatening your friends’: Idaho AG’s office bristles at Trump DOJ’s letter . Amid the lawsuit, President Donald Trump recently praised Idaho for leading the nation in its efforts to have election integrity and clean voter rolls. RELATED | Why Idaho’s Secretary of State says voters can be confident elections are secure At the end of the conversation, McGrane shares some experiences about his personal interactions with President Trump in the White House. Nelson highlights McGrane’s background and his connection to eastern Idaho With the midterm election approaching and on the heels of President Trump’s announcement alleging that China acquired 220 million U.S. voter files and that U.S. intelligence officials covered it up, this is a timely conversation. It’s an episode you don’t want to miss. Watch previous episodes of “It’s Worth Mentioning” here . Check out the show on Facebook . If you have a tip, guest idea, or comment, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

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  Episode #22

  Four generations, one choir: The family legacy behind a Tabernacle Choir singer

  Jul 20, 202639 minS2

  Singing in the Tabernacle Choir is a multi-generational tradition for Leslie Johnson. The Utah woman, who grew up in Rexburg, represents the fourth generation of her family to be part of the world-renowned singing ensemble. She’s been a member of the Choir since 2022 and was part of the Choir’s recent “Songs of Hope” concert at the Hollywood Bowl amphitheater in Los Angeles, California, which included celebrity guest Donny Osmond and others. RELATED | Tabernacle Choir, Donny Osmond headlining free community concerts in east Idaho Johnson’s parents, Richard and Carolyn Robison, were members of the choir from 1957 to 1959. That’s where they met and fell in love. During that time, they were part of the choir’s original recording of “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which earned a Grammy Award in 1959, according to a historical timeline provided by The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints, with which the choir is affiliated. Carolyn passed away on June 30, 2026, after a long battle with cancer. She was 88. Carolyn’s mother, Helen Peterson Hooper, joined the choir in 1958 and stayed with the group until 1967. Hooper’s husband died years earlier. During this time, she became acquainted with fellow choir member Thomas Hicken, who eventually became her second husband. Decades after the Tabernacle Choir was formed in 1847, Carolyn’s great-grandparents, Thomas Albert and Emily Susanna Aubrey Hooper, met, fell in love and became the first family members to join the choir. This week on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Rett Nelson speaks with Johnson about this unique family tradition. She shares details about her ancestor’s involvement with the choir and her mother’s passing. Johnson discusses her experiences with the Choir and how her mother’s love of music played a role in the final years of her life. Johson explains how her mother’s example has influenced who she is today. On the heels of the Tabernacle Choir’s Hollywood Bowl performance, this is a timely conversation that falls on the day that would've been Carolyn’s 89th birthday. It’s an unforgettable episode that you don’t want to miss. Watch previous episodes of “It’s Worth Mentioning” here . Check out the show on Facebook . If you have a tip, guest idea or comment, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

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