120. The Powderhouse Blast

Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling

BBC

True Crime, Comedy

4.3 • 922 Ratings

🗓️ 25 May 2026

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Iain looks at the unbelievable true story of the Powderhouse Blast, which took place in South Dakota in 1936. It’s a story involving a dynamite explosion, an heroic escape, and a man on the run.

Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling is available twice a week on BBC Sounds. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Email us at lauraandiain@bbc.co.uk

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
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0:21.7	Overhead King!
0:23.6	That is sensational!
0:28.3	Expert Insights and the biggest names in the game on the Wayne Rooney show.
0:31.0	Just coming to the club was already a dream control, a privilege,
0:33.5	never saw or dreamed about being the captain of the club.
0:35.7	Listen on BBC Sounds. Our case today begins on the banks of the Mississippi River.
0:44.3	M-I-S-S-I-S-I-P-I-P-I-S-I-M-E-P-P-I-S-I-M.
0:50.3	The year is 1950 and we're in a city called St Paul, the state capital of Minnesota.
0:57.0	On the southeast side of St Paul there's a large neighborhood called Dayton's Bluff.
1:01.0	It's a quiet residential place.
1:04.0	Today we're going to be visiting the home of the Lewis family.
1:07.0	It's the afternoon of March 16th and 14-year-old James Lewis has just finished a day at
1:11.9	school.
1:12.9	He's in his final year at Van Buren Elementary.
1:16.0	James enjoys school.
1:17.0	He's got lots of friends in all different grades.
	...

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