hill country

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 canyon walls are steep and rocky. The path is narrow and the drop steep. Is the beauty worth the pain? The German settlers sure thought so. In this episode,…

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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 Germans were intellectuals, engineers, farmers and…unionists! Nevertheless they designed a new revolver, making 6 total. The gun proved impractical, however, so they ceased production. Only one of…

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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 started it, and some say the Easter Bunny is doing some cooking. Hear about the Fredericksburg Easter fires in the latest episode of Wise About Texas.

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Ep. 55: A Surly Bartender

Fredericksburg Texas has a very interesting history.  Created during the massive German immigration to Texas in the middle 1800’s, Fredericksburg was not intended to be the city it soon became.  A treaty with the Comanche Indians and the California gold rush made Fredericksburg a prosperous place to set up a store.  John Hunter did just that….

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