Wednesday, Doug's guest is researcher S.J. Wolfe who joins us to tell the story of Mormon founder Joseph Smith and the four mummies he bought in 1835. What really interested Smith were the accompanying papyri, but since the owner would only sell them together, Smith raised what today would be more than $64,000 to complete the deal. It wasn't just the Mormons who were fascinated; people flocked to traveling mummy exhibits around the country. We'll talk about Smith's mummies and about ancient Egypt's appeal to 19th-century Americans.
- SJ Wolfe is the author of Mummies in Nineteenth Century America: Ancient Egyptian as Artifacts. [A portion of your purchase from Amazonor Indieboundsupports RadioWest.]
- "Mummies of the World" closes May 27th at The Leonardo in downtown Salt Lake City. Starting tomorrow, they are offering extended hours through the end of the exhibition. It will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. To plan a visit, click here
