Wise About Texas

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 of some of the town buildings will now sit mere yards from their original locations. Find out about this exciting new project from the project historian Michael Rugeley Moore in this bonus episode of Wise About Texas.

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 first-hand encounter! The party crossing the Salt Creek Prairie right after Sherman wouldn't be so lucky. As the Kiowa swept down toward Henry Warren's wagon train, the teamsters tried to circle the wagons. They didn't make it. The Indians were proud of their accomplishment but they would soon regret it. The American legal system kicked into gear at the behest of Indian Agent Lawrie Tatum. Soon the Indians would, for the first time, face a trial. Learn the details in part 2 of the Indian trial: The raid.

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 so bad that something had to be done. The federal government thought leading with diplomacy would solve the problem but the Texans wanted military action. An 1871 attack on a wagon train and the subsequent efforts to impose the rule of law on the frontier proved a turning point in U.S./Indian relations. Ripped from today's headlines, the Indian Trial teaches us valuable lessons...if we choose to learn. Learn more in Part 1 of the the latest episode of Wise About Texas.

Freshwater pearls have always been valuable finds, but one man found one in 1909 that was said to be worth a ton of money! All of a sudden, East Texas experienced a pearl boom. One person reported watching a thousand people combing lake bottoms hoping to strike it rich. Hear about the East Texas pearl frenzy in the latest episode of Wise About Texas.

In the early 1920's, the City of Houston was building what would come to be known as Hermann Park. Its centerpiece was to be a statue of Sam Houston. Enrico Cerracchio won the contract and his creation was lauded nationwide. But one person really didn't like it...Sam Houston's son. He hated it so much, a Judge had to get involved. Hear about the story of Sam's statue in this episode of Wise About Texas.

Galveston native Sam Collins III had a vision to bring Texas history and the Juneteenth story to its home in a grand way. Enlisting the help of a team of artists, technology experts, and the Galveston community, the Juneteenth Legacy Project came to life at the very site where General Granger issued General Order No. 3. Learn about Galveston's newest civic asset and the need for more Texas history, not less, from Sam Collins III in this bonus episode of Wise About Texas.

On June 19, 1865, union general Gordon Granger landed in Galveston and issued some general orders. His General Order No. 3 informed the people of Texas that all the slaves in Texas were now free. Since then, "Juneteenth" has been celebrated in Texas as the anniversary of emancipation. Juneteenth became an official Texas state holiday in 1980. In 2021, the U.S. followed Texas' lead and now a fateful day in Texas history is a holiday for the entire nation. Learn the history behind the emancipation proclamation and General Order No. 3 from the author who literally wrote the book on Juneteenth in this episode of Wise About Texas.

The victorious Texians only carried one flag into the Battle of San Jacinto. It was a gift from the citizens of Newport, Kentucky to Sidney Sherman. After the revolution, the flag was sent back to Kentucky. But after several decades, the flag found its permanent home. Learn the fate of the San Jacinto battle flag in this episode of Wise About Texas.

The San Jacinto monument stands 567 feet over a battleground upon which a ragtag army changed the trajectory of world history. A few hundred Texians surprised the President of Mexico and his army in an afternoon attack on April 21, 1836. Eighteen minutes later, the Texians had won their revolution against the tyrannical Santa Anna, who had run away in fear. The San Jacinto monument, begun in 1936 and completed in 1939, stands as a reminder of this glorious victory. But while it's the biggest, it's not the only one. Learn more about the multiple San Jacinto monuments in the latest episode of Wise About Texas.

On March 27, 1836, several hundred Texian soldiers were brutally murdered on the orders of Santa Anna. One of them, John C. Logan, left us two letters. The first was written at a time of optimism and victory. The second reflected the hard conditions suffered by many in the Texian army. These two letters provide a quick glimpse into the experiences of the brave men who fought for Texas freedom. Hear the reflections of Texian soldier John C. Logan in this episode of Wise About Texas.

James L. Haley is one of Texas' finest writers. He has written a preeminent biography of Sam Houston, an award winning narrative history of Texas called Passionate Nation as well as several works of fiction, also very highly regarded. But we Texans take our history very seriously, so writing historical fiction about Texas can be a risky endeavor. James Haley delivers. His latest work is a naval adventure series featuring American naval officer Bliven Putnam. In the fourth book, Captain Putnam takes on a secret mission for the Republic of Texas during its fight for independence. I talked Mr. Haley into sitting down and discussing his writing process, research process, writing historical fiction versus history, as well as other topics around his work. Enjoy this interview with award winning author James L. Haley in the latest episode of Wise About Texas. 

From February 23, 1836 through its fall on March 6, the Mexican army lay siege to the Alamo. William Barrret Travis wrote several letters during the siege but one stands above all others.  On February 24, 1836, Travis dispatched a letter "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World."  This letter would become one of the most famous, inspirational, and heroically tragic missives in history.  Remember the Alamo in the latest episode of Wise About Texas.  

In 1925, there were only a few women lawyers in Texas. But women still couldn't serve as jurors and nobody dreamed there would ever be a female judge. Then a real estate lawsuit came to the Texas Supreme Court involving a mutual life insurance company called  the Woodmen of the World.  At the time, every member of the Supreme Court of Texas was a member of the Woodmen of the World, so were disqualified from hearing the case.  That left Governor Pat Neff with a problem.  He had to appoint judges to sit on the Supreme Court but couldn't find any that weren't affiliated with the Woodmen.  So he did what Texans have done since 1836, he turned to Texas women.  Hear about the first all-female state Supreme court in American history in the latest episode of Wise About Texas.

In the early 20th century, Texas had room to grow.  Like the empresarios of the early 1800's, real estate drove efforts to settle new Texans.  But not all developers were honest.  Promises of historically productive land, railroads and pleasant temperatures lured many to the coastal prairie.  Towns were built...and towns died.  One in particular was billed as a farming paradise.  Two crops a year plus a railroad on its way.  Hundreds came to Texas to establish this paradise, appropriately named Provident City.  Hear an all-too-typical tale of early 20th century land deals in the latest episode of Wise About Texas.

San Augustine had a crime problem in the 1930’s. A semi-organized gang was preying on the black community and something had to be done. The problem was compounded by a corrupt governor who had all but destroyed the Rangers. But new Governor James V Allred cleaned up the Texas Ranger force and restored it to its rightful place as one of the nation’s premier law enforcement organizations. Then he sent them to San Augustine. The Rangers cleaned up the town and broke down some Jim Crow barriers. Hear the story of how the Allred rangers cleaned up San Augustine in this interview with one of the premier Texas Ranger scholars in Texas, Dr. Jody Edward Ginn. 

Texans love their freedom. At the door of a hat, we'll declare independence and the fight is on! For years, folks have referred to Van Zandt County as the "free state of Van Zandt." How did this come about? Was it taxes, or was it the civil war? In this episode we'll look at three of the most common stories about how a certain East Texas county came to be known as a free state.

Texas one of only 17 states that has a pledge of allegiance to its flag. But some would say Texas is the only state that deserves it. Hear a quick take on the Texas pledge of allegiance in this episode of Wise About Texas.

In April, 1836, Texas went to war with the United States by capturing an American ship in the service of Mexico. After the battle of San Jacinto, an international relations nightmare loomed. President David Burnet had to find some way to hold a trial. Without a constitution, laws, courts or judges, Burnet took matters into his own hands and created the Judicial District of Brazos. Judge Benjamin Cromwell Franklin decided the case, then kept the court open! Before the people elected a president or the first congress met, Texas had a judiciary. Hear about the first court of the Republic of Texas in this episode of Wise About Texas.

During 1837, the Mexican government was still reeling from the successful Texas revolution. Bent on reconquering Texas, an army massed at Matamoros. The Secretary of the Texas Navy knew that Texas could keep Mexico at bay by attacking its ports and shipping. Sam Houston, however, thought the Texas Navy an unnecessary extravagance. Despite the President's orders, Secretary of the Navy Samual Fisher ordered the ships to sea. One day, they landed at Cozumel...

During World War II, Texas played an important role in training pilots and bomber crews.  The city of Dalhart contributed to the war effort by building an airfield.  Practice bombing missions took place over the panhandle by the famous B-17, B-24, and later the B-29.  One night in 1943, a young B-17 crew set out on a 40 mile round trip to bomb a lit square on the practice range.  50 miles later, they bombed Boise City, Oklahoma!  Hear more about the night Texas attacked Oklahoma in the latest episode of Wise About Texas.