WISE ABOUT TEXAS

Meet Temple Lea Houston, youngest son of Texas hero Sam Houston and one of Texas’s first great trial lawyers.  He was known for his quick mind, a silver tongue, fancy dress and a fast gun.  All of those were helpful in the early courtrooms of Texas.  He turned down the chance for high political office...

In the middle of a hot Texas summer, let’s head for the beach!  San Jose Island is bordered by Matagorda to the north and Mustang to the south.  Texas barrier islands all have their unique stories and San Jose is no different.  It has seen explorers, ranchers, entrepreneurs and soldiers.  These islands together hold the...

Merry Christmas…that’s Cowboy Christmas of course.  July 4 is called Cowboy Christmas because of all the great rodeos held around the 4th of July holiday.  In this episode we take a look at the history of rodeo going all the way back to the 16th century.  Learn how the modern sport of rodeo evolved from...

In the first of a new series on Texas Towns we take a look at the town of Texana, once a booming Texas port city, now claimed by the water she once commanded.

Two generals decided to fight a duel to decide who would command the Texas Army.  Find out what happened and whether a wound suffered in the duel eventually affected the outcome of the Civil War!    

In the first episode of a periodic series on Texans you should know, learn about the interesting, active and controversial life of General Thomas Jefferson Chambers.  Lawyer, surveyor, judge, land baron.  Chambers had an entrepeneurial spirit and a nose for a deal.  Was he a smart business man or an unscrupulous dealer?  No matter what...

Crush, Texas was the second largest city in Texas for a few hours in September, 1896.  Learn about a Texas-sized publicity stunt that was the biggest and, unfortunately the deadliest in Texas history.  It was a train wreck in more ways than one.  Travel back to the glory days of rail travel and learn about the...

Review the battle of San Jacinto.  18 minutes that changed the world.  

After the fall of the Alamo and the massacre at Goliad, times in Texas were uncertain at best.  General Sam Houston took the army on a retreat to the east.  In this episode learn how the Texian army made it to San Jacinto and some of the side stories and important questions raised during that...

One of the darkest events in Texas history was the massacre of the Texians at Goliad. Learn stories of deceit, escape and even kindness in the midst of sorrow in the latest episode of Wise About Texas.

180 years ago, every Alamo defender lost his life.  But not everyone who was in the Alamo died.  Learn some stories of the folks who survived the battle and a little about the effect of the defeat on the government of the young Republic of Texas.  

180 years ago today, March 6, 1836 the final assault on the Alamo began. Wise About Texas pays tribute to the fallen in this bonus episode.  

180 years ago, the Mexican army surrounded the Alamo.  For 13 days, the defenders worked on the fortifications, sheltered some townspeople, entreated their fledgling government for food and supplies, and plead for reinforcements.  Learn who took shelter in the Alamo and follow the course of the siege through the letters of the garrison commander William...

Texas was in a state of confusion in February, 1836 and Santa Anna was on the march to quash the rebellion.  The government was split and the military command was in disarray.  But time was running out.  Learn how things stood in Texas 180 years ago this month as events started to concentrate around San...

Texas elections are always exciting but not all of them result in an armed standoff in the capitol between two Governors. The election of 1873 did! The Texas Supreme Court used a semicolon to cause the conflict and, change Texas history and end reconstruction! Learn more in Episode 9 of Wise About Texas.  

In Episode 8, you learned how Bob Fitzsimmons won the heavyweight championship on a sandbar in the Rio Grande.  In this bonus episode, learn how Fitzsimmons’ next fight cost the legendary Wyatt Earp his gun…and his reputation!

In 1896, the biggest sporting event in the nation was to be a fight for the heavyweight championship.  But its location was a secret!  Armed Soldiers from Mexico, Arizona, and the Texas Rangers had it stopped, until the “Law West of the Pecos,” Judge Roy Bean managed to take it international–sort of.  Learn about Texas...

170 years ago today, December 29, the United States admitted Texas as the 28th State. Learn about what Texas President Anson Jones called the “great drama” in this episode of Wise About Texas!

In December, 1835, the Mexican army surrendered the major city of Bexar to the rebellious Texans.  Learn about the grass fight and the capture of the pots and pans!  You’ll also learn about the pivotal role BBQ played in the cause of Texas independence!  

Houston was the capital of Texas, but not for long.  After the capital moved to the new town of Austin, President Sam Houston kept trying to move it again…leading to an armed conflict and a cannon fired on Congress Avenue!  The only question is whether the war is really over…  

The story of the first thanksgiving is not the one you might think.  Before the pilgrims, Texas already had a thanksgiving–and now we have two!  Learn more in this bonus episode of Wise About Texas.  Happy thanksgiving!  

There are several lists of the capitals of the Republic of Texas but they are incomplete!  Come travel with the provisional government of Texas from the declaration of independence on March 2, 1836 onward as it flees the advancing enemy and tries to conduct the business of the new republic.  Part 1 covers the period...

Download this episode and hear the story of the first large battle of the Texas revolution.  While the first shots of the Texas revolution were fired at Gonzales, the first larger battle, and the first Texan casualty, was fought near a mission south of present-day San Antonio.  This episode takes you back 180 years to...

In this episode, we celebrate the rough and tumble world of Texas politics by examining the 1948 Senate election.  This election had strange events, Texas Rangers, guns and lawsuits!  Download this episode to learn how a small precinct in a small South Texas county changed the course of U.S. history!  

This episode introduces two of the first judges of Texas–Josiah Hughes Bell and Benjamin Cromwell Franklin.  Download this episode to hear stories of Austin’s Colony and how the provisional Texas government learned of the victory at San Jacinto.  You’ll also hear about the time Texas engaged in an act of war against the United States!