What Once Was
Step into the dusty streets of forgotten towns, saloons that echoed with gunfire, and communities built on gold, grit, and hope.
What Once Was is a storytelling podcast that unearths the buried history of Southern Utah — a region shaped by pioneers, outlaws, miners, farmers, and everyday families who built lives in the harshest of landscapes.
Hosted by Anna Lytle, each episode brings to life the places you’ve driven past without a second thought — using immersive sound design, rich narration, and true stories that blend tragedy, hope, and a little bit of wild west madness.
Whether your ancestors lived it, or you just love stories that stay with you long after they’re told — What Once Was will make you see Southern Utah in a whole new way.
New episodes every other week!
- Update frequency
- every 9 days
- Average duration
- 25 minutes
- Episodes
- 7
- Years Active
- 2025
A Bad Penny Always Turns Up
On St. Patrick’s Day 1935, Enterprise, Utah was alive with music, dancing, and laughter. By morning, rancher Thomas “Penny” Reed had vanished. For years, the town whispered — had he left his family, …
Enterprise, Utah: Built from Ruins, Held by Grit
This isn’t a ghost town story.
It’s the story of a town that survived. This episode follows this town from its beginning to the end of WW2.
Born from Hebron’s collapse and carved into the high desert…
Hebron: A Town Haunted by Faith, Fire, and the Devil Himself
In the shadowed sagebrush country west of Enterprise, Utah, lies a forgotten ghost town with a history as dark as it is captivating. Founded by pioneers answering Brigham Young’s call, Hebron promise…
Stateline, Utah - The Mining Town That Went Boom then Bust
Straddling the dusty edge of Utah and Nevada once stood a town built on gold, silver, and second chances—Stateline. For a moment at the turn of the 19th century, it boomed with promise: saloons rang …
The Outlaws and Legends of Desert Springs Station
Beneath the blistering sun of Southern Utah lies a forgotten stagecoach station where fact and folklore blur—Desert Springs. Once an infamous outpost, now nothing remains, but whispers on the wind.
I…
Modena, Utah - The Glory Days at the End of the Line
In the far southwestern corner of Utah, where the desert flattens and the railroad once ruled, lies a quiet town with a loud past—Modena. It was built on the promise of progress, a bustling depot whe…
What Once Was Trailer
Discover the forgotten history of Southern Utah — from ghost towns and outlaw shootouts to murders and pioneer grit. What Once Was brings the past to life with immersive sound and vivid storytelling.…