171 - The Past Times with Dave Ross

In this episode of The Dollop, hosts Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds dive into a 1911 issue of the Fort Collins Weekly Express, part one, with guest Dave Ross. The episode unfolds as a chaotic, comedic exploration of bizarre and underdeveloped news stories from a bygone era, including a man charged with failing to bury a dead horse, a 13-year-old boy accidentally shooting himself with a toy gun, a husband suing to reclaim his house after being forced to sleep in the barn, and a woman escaping jail using a rope made from bed sheets. The hosts dissect each story with escalating absurdity, riffing on the lack of context, questionable journalism, and the strange cultural norms of early 20th-century America. Amid the laughter, they also touch on deeper themes of class, gender, and the absurdity of historical record-keeping. The episode concludes with a mix of frustration and delight at the paper’s incompleteness, culminating in a meta-commentary on how we consume and interpret history.