In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, we are setting sail on a brand-new miniseries: The Story Ark Presents: American Demigods.

In a special collaboration with students from Brigham Young University, we explore the larger-than-life figures who define the American spirit. These are the folk heroes and tall-tale legends that ride the line between the human and the divine, embodying the rugged individualism and untamed imagination of a growing nation.

In Part One, we dive into the legends of the Southwest and the Great Northwoods:

• Pecos Bill: The rootin’-tootin’ cowboy raised by coyotes. Discover how he invented the lasso, used a rattlesnake as a whip, and famously rode a Kansas tornado until it rained itself out—creating the Grand Canyon and Death Valley in the process.
• Paul Bunyan: The colossal lumberjack whose first breath rattled church windows and whose appetite required a grain silo for a milk bottle. Hear the mythic account of Paul and his loyal companion, Babe the Blue Ox, as they take on a 200-foot-high logjam on the Wisconsin River.

These aren't just stories; they are "etiological legends" that explain how our landscape was shaped and how our frontier identity was forged. Whether you're looking for a laugh or a deeper look into the American mythology that has endured for nearly two and a half centuries, this episode is a "Texas-sized" treat.

Saddle up, partner—it’s time to meet the demigods who made America wild.

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