Shows / Wise About Texas
Wise About Texas
If you think you know Texas history, think again. This is the podcast that goes beyond the textbooks — rigorously researched, compellingly written, and delivered with a relaxed storytelling style that makes even the most serious history feel like sitting around a campfire. Your host is Justice Ken Wise: a scholar with a gift for narrative and a knack for finding the stories that surprise you. Texas history, Texas legends, Texas characters — all told the way they deserve to be told. Subscribe…
Episodes
- Wise About Texas
Ep. 157: Ad and Plinky Topperwein, the Texas Sharpshooters
In This Episode • [02:44] A December 1907 morning in San Antonio and a pile of small pine blocks • [03:54] The Toepperwein family comes from Prussia and…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 156 (Live From Young County) Fort Belknap with Jim Hammond
Why would an Army fort on the Texas frontier be built without a wall? In episode 156 of Wise About Texas, recorded live at the Young County Museum of History…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 155: (Live from Young County) Starting a History Museum with Shannon Potts & Tony Widner
Episode 155: Young County Museum of History and Culture, Graham, Texas Ken Wise records live at the Young County Museum of History and Culture in Graham…
Wise About TexasEp. 154: When Lone Star Cowboys Took the Sport of Kings
In This Episode • The origins of polo in sixth-century B.C. Persia — and why it was war training, not sport • How the British found the game in India, and the…
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EP. 153: How to Start a War- The Warfield and Snively Raids
Show Notes The 1842 Mexican invasions of Texas and their aftermath, including the Mier expedition and the Black Bean Incident. Sam Houston's use of…
Wise About TexasEp. 152: Teeing off with Wise About Golf!
Episode 152 — Introducing Wise About Golf Golf reached Texas before the automobile did — back when men who remembered San Jacinto were still walking around…
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EP. 151: A Road Trip Through the Republic
We think and talk a lot about the Republic of Texas (I hope). But what are we talking about? Most of the early settlement in Mexican Texas was east of the…
- Wise About Texas
Ep. 150: Happy 250th Birthday America!
250 years ago, the “American Experiment” began, with the result being the freest and most successful nation in the history of the world. The…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 149: Up the River (road)
There is nothing prettier than a river flowing gently through the canyons of the Texas hill country. But traveling along the river can be treacherous. The…
- Wise About Texas
Bonus: A Quick Notice to Subscribers
The podcast has a good problem. There are so many listeners and downloads I had to move the podcast to a new RSS feed. There should not be any interruption…
- Wise About Texas
Ep 148: Governor Richard Coke, Texan: An interview with Rosser Coke Newton
Governor Richard Coke was sworn in at the point of several guns. His supporters protected his impromptu ceremony on the second floor of the Capitol from his…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 147: Teeing Off With Texas Golf
Here at Wise About Texas world headquarters we love our golf. Texas has made, and continues to make, an outsized impact in the world of golf. With over 100…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 146: Getting to Know Governor Oran Roberts, the “Old Alcalde.” An Interview with Dr. John Adams. Part 2
In part 2 of the interview with Dr. John Adams, we learn more about Governor Oran Roberts' significant contribution to Texas public higher education.
- Wise About Texas
Ep. 145: Getting to Know Governor Oran Roberts, the “Old Alcalde.” An Interview with Dr. John Adams. Part 1.
Oran Roberts started his legal career in Texas. From lawyer to District Judge to the Supreme Court (twice), and even the Governor's Mansion, Governor Oran…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 144: The Runaway Scrape with Dr. Stephen Hardin
In 1836, the Texians faced a huge refugee crisis. Mexican general Santa Anna intended to wage a terror campaign against the civilian population as he had done…
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EP. 142: Letters from the Alamo (?)
Most are familiar with William Barret Travis' letters from the Alamo, espcially his February 24th letter promising "Victory or Death!" But could there hqave…
- Wise About Texas
Ep. 142: A Disturbing Set of Events (Anahuac, 1832)
In 1832, things in Texas were chaotic to say the least. There was conflict between centralists and federalists on two fronts. The Texas settlers wanted their…
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Ep 141: Come and Take It!
There is no more popular symbol of the Texas spirit and the Texas revolution than the famous "Come and Take It" flag. It's reproduced on all sorts of…
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EP 140: A DECADE of Texas history
Ten years ago this week, I launched Wise About Texas. I had no idea what it would become. In this episode, I recap a little about where the podcast has been…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 139: An English Earl in Texas…
The 7th Earl of Aylesford was quite the character. His exploits in England were "of note." In fact, they were of such note that he had to leave the country. So…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 138: A Volcanic Trail Marker
Northeastern New Mexico was a hotbed (pun intended) of volcanic activity. Over time, those volcanoes became extinct. But one still served a very important…
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EP. 137: The First Chief Justice (sort of)
The Republic of Texas Congress formed the first state Supreme Court in 1836. However, the Court really didn't meet in any significant way until 1840 under the…
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EP. 136: A Word for the Hill Country
A brief episode marking the 2025 tragedy in the Texas Hill Country
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EP. 135: Texans You Should Know– Lottie Deno
What's an upper-crust lady from Kentucky society doing in one of the worst and most dangerous areas of Texas? Dealing cards, of course. Not only that, she was…
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Ep. 134: The Fence Cutting Wars
Barbed wire revolutionized livestock fencing. What a great invention...or so it was thought. The real effect was the gradual elimination of the open range and…
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EP. 133: The Van Horn Wells
For centuries, Indians knew where to get water on the desolate terrain of what would become West Texas. One of those spots came to be known as the Van Horns…
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EP. 132: The Coming of the Wire
You can't go anywhere in Texas without running into "the devil's rope"--barbed wire. It keeps livestock in AND out. It protects property and discourages…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 131: A Presidential Election, 1841
You think our elections are divisive today? Well, Texas is just continuing a long tradition of candidates running hard and stirring the pot. In the Republic of…
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Ep. 130: The Sisterdale Revolver
In the early part of the Civil War, a group of German Freethinkers got together to design and manufacture a revolver for use by the Confederate forces. These…
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EP. 129: Making Texas History: An Interview with Governor Rick Perry (Part 2)
Governor Rick Perry is the longest serving Governor in Texas history. From his humble beginnings in Paint Creek, to the cockpit of an Air Force C-130, to the…
- Wise About Texas
Making Texas History: An Interview with Governor Rick Perry (Part 1)
Governor Rick Perry is the longest serving Governor in Texas history. From his humble beginnings in Paint Creek, to the cockpit of an Air Force C-130, to the…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 127: Clash of the Titans
The American Buffalo, or Bison, is an iconic image of America. At one point, millions of these huge animals roamed the continent. But settlement and commercial…
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EP. 126: An Accidental Victory
As the winter of 1835 approached, the Texian army lay siege to San Antonio de Bexar. When rumors started that a pack train was approaching the town carrying…
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The Texas Rangers: Milton H. West- from Ranger to Congressman
Milton H. West had a most interesting career. While investigating the assault of his brother on the Mexican border, he decided to sign up with the Texas…
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EP. 124: Texans You Should Know- Sally Skull
Sarah Jane Newman grew up tough in a family that came with Austin's Old 300. She watched her mother fight off Indians and became an expert judge of horses…
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EP. 123: The Texas Rangers- Senior Captain Tony Leal (part 2)
Antonio “Tony” Leal served as a Texas Ranger from 1994-2011, including several years as the Senior Captain. In part 2 of an interesting and wide-ranging…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 122: The Texas Rangers- Senior Captain Tony Leal (part 1)
Antonio "Tony" Leal served as a Texas Ranger from 1994-2011, including several years as the Senior Captain. In this interesting and wide-ranging interview, you…
- Wise About Texas
Bonus Episode: The 72 oz Steak Challenge with James Webb
The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo is world famous for its 72 oz. steak challenge. If you can eat a 72 oz steak (that's 4 1/2 pounds!), and all the sides…
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Ep. 121: A Dead Man’s Horse: The Case of Issac Desha
Issac Desha had a checkered past. Though he was the son of a Governor, something just wasn't right. When he was spotted with a dead man's horse, things got…
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BONUS EPISODE: Celebrating The Texas Ranger Bicentennial
2023 marks the 200th anniversary of one of the most famous law enforcement organizations in the world--The Texas Rangers. In this bonus episode, I talk with…
- Wise About Texas
Bonus Episode: A Bad Day at the Courthouse
The September term of the Bexar County District Court was a bad time to be set for trial. Find out why in this bonus episode of Wise About Texas.
- Wise About Texas
EP. 120: Texas Rangers: “Old Paint” Caldwell
Some people are just natural leaders. That was Matthew "Old Paint" Caldwell. He rallied men for several of the most important battles in Texas history. In…
- Wise About Texas
EP. 119: The Texas Rangers: Origins
Texas Ranger. Two words that strike fear in the heart of the lawbreaker and hope in the heart of the law abiding. Since before there was a Texas, there were…
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EP. 118: Texans You Should Know- Osjetea Briggs
She grew up a poor Native American in rural Texas during the depression. But if you think she even noticed, you don't know Osjetea Briggs. She became a…
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EP. 117: A Murder in the Capitol
There has been one, and only one, assassination of a Texas state official and it happened in 1903. It occurred in the State Capitol building, the same one you…
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EP 116: I Heard it on the X, Part 2
Dr. John Brinkley had figured out how to beat the system and built the most powerful radio station in the world. The entire United States could now hear what…
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EP. 115: I Heard it on the X, Part 1
Dr. John Brinkley claimed to have the miracle operation for male "rejuvenation." Dr. John Brinkley was also a quack who bought his medical degree for $100…
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Ep. 114: Winging it in Big Bend
In the 1920s, U.S. military aviation was in its early stages. New uses for air power were discovered frequently. The new flying machines would allow military…
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Ep. 113: The Travis County Dog Wars
Shortly after the civil war, Appalachia came to Austin. Known as the cedar choppers, migrants from the mountains moved into the limestone hills of western…
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EP. 112: A Texas mother- Mary Christian Burleson
What is it about Texas mothers? They are tough, smart, and resourceful. Nothing phases a Texas mom, they can do it all! That was certainly true of Mary…
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EP. 111: The Easter Fires of Fredericksburg
Every Easter Eve, the hill country around Fredericksburg comes alive with huge bonfires. Some say this tradition came from Germany, some say the Indians…
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EP. 110: A Goliad Survivor?
March 27, 1836 was Palm Sunday, a holy day. But the Mexican dictator Santa Anna didn't care, he was out for blood. He ordered hundreds of Texian prisoners…
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Ep 109: Alamo Defenders- Dr. Amos Pollard
Dr. Amos Pollard was a Massachusetts yankee seeking a new start and prosperity in Texas. He dared the Mexican army to "come and take it," and served as an army…
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Ep. 108: Alamo Defenders- Toribio Losoya
The Alamo defenders were heroes, but not everyone gets top billing. Hear the stories of some of the defenders that you may not think of when you remember the…
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Ep. 107: Texans You Should Know- Anna Mebus Martin
She arrived from Germany with very little, not even speaking English. She braved indian attacks, frontier outlaws and a civil war to become a cattle queen and…
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Ep. 106: A Lea Family Tragedy
The Lea family were patriots. Father Albert Lea was born in Tennessee and served in the Army after graduating West Point. He went on to serve in various…
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EP. 105: The Indian Trial Part 3: The Trial
The trial of the century would be held in the old sandstone courthouse in Jacksboro. Finally, justice would be served...or would it? Fiery arguments, quick…
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BONUS EPISODE: Villa de Austin
The Texas Historical Commission is creating the opportunity to step back in time and visit the capital of Austin's colony, San Felipe de Austin. Reproductions…
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Ep. 105 The Indian Trial Part 2: The Raid
General Sherman toured northern Texas to see just how bad the Indian raiding was. He had his doubts. What he didn't know was just how close he came to a…
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EP. 105: The Indian Trial Part 1: People, Places, and Policy
The western frontier of Texas moved backwards during the Civil War. Indian raids pushed the settlers toward safer ground. After the war, the raiding had become…