# Ep 34: The Man in the Steel Teepee - John Valjean Mahalchik

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/merlin-s-barn-podcast-7101492/ep-34-the-man-in-the-steel-teepee-john-valjean-mahalchik
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/merlin-s-barn-podcast-7101492/ep-34-the-man-in-the-steel-teepee-john-valjean-mahalchik.md
Podcast: [Merlin’s Barn Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/merlin-s-barn-podcast-7101492)
Published: 2026-02-10T06:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://merlinsbarn.substack.com/p/ep-34-the-man-in-the-steel-teepee
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/187435614/36d8a9baa3fd4894a290940b945991c0.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3918

## Resource

When they burned his house he built a steel teepee. He ran for President multiple times. He said," The Royal blood of peasants flows in my veins." He lived on an airfield covered in ww2 surplus. We chat with Scott Roberts who was friends with Mahalchik. Merlin and Scott on a typical day. To see photos of Mahalchik’s “Fabulous Fifty Acres” visit these websites: Weird NJ RoadsideAmerica.com Spacesarchives.org Aaaand the weird helicopter blimp monstrosity Scott refers to Piasecki Helistat This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit merlinsbarn.substack.com/subscribe

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## Transcript

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