All Episodes

Browse Through The Episodes

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

EP. 136: A Word for the Hill Country

A brief episode marking the 2025 tragedy in the Texas Hill Country

Read More

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?...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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....

Read More

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...

Read More

Ep. 130: The Sisterdale Revolver

In the early part of the Civil War, a group of German Freethinkers got together to design and manufacture...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

EP. 126: An Accidental Victory

As the winter of 1835 approached, the Texian army lay siege to San Antonio de Bexar. When rumors started...

Read More

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,...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More