Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 90: Money In The Republic Of Texas
 
"Follow the money." That familiar motto of investigative journalists is also the credo of numismatists: people who study coins and currency.
 
We combine both skill sets to reveal the financial system of the Republic of Texas, how the struggle for independence was financed, and why Texas coffers never recovered fr...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 89: The Civil War & San Antonio
 
A nation deeply divided and rapidly heading toward a civil war that will cause bloodshed across the land, and cost more than 600,000 lives.

We reveal San Antonio’s role in the Civil War, how the first gun shots almost were fired at the Alamo, and how the mission-turned-military-fort played a pivotal role in America’s bloo...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 88: Texas Legacy Of Juneteenth
 
June 19, 1865 is forever known as Juneteenth, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were informed “all slaves are free" - and they had been free, for more than two years.
 
We reveal the complicated path that led to a remarkably simple military order that changed hundreds of thousands of lives, how Texas led the way...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 87: The Alamo's Newest Pop Culture Treasures

We asked, and Alamo enthusiasts more than delivered. It’s been a year since the Alamo launched its “Treasures of the Alamo” campaign, calling on you to help us fill our Pop Culture Gallery inside the future Visitor Center and Museum.
 
We reveal the amazing treasures we’ve discovered, the stories behind these ...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 86: Medicine At The Alamo
 
The Alamo is known for many things: a Spanish Mission, a battlefield, a treasured historic site. But one of its lesser-known distinctions is being home to the first hospital in Texas.
 
We reveal how medical science shaped the Alamo, from the world’s first documented vaccine being administered on its grounds to the backdrop of the b...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 85: Texas Revolution Military Uniforms
 
Bright colors, big hats, and tall plumes: the military uniforms of the Texas Revolution are about as opposite as you can get from modern-day khaki and camouflage.
 
We reveal the practical reasons behind the ornate military fashion, how these intricate uniforms fostered morale within the ranks, and the uniforms that sur...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 84: The Mexican Army's Final Days At The Alamo
 
By May 1836, the news of Texas independence has spread, and the Alamo will once again change hands.
 
We reveal the Mexican Army’s final days at the Alamo, the orders sent from on high to tear down reinforcements, and the literal fire left behind inside the Alamo Church. Featuring the Alamo's Senior Re...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 83: The Alamo Rangers
 
It is National Police Week in the United States. This year, the Alamo Rangers mark 50 years as the official security force of the Shrine of Texas Liberty. The role is steeped in the responsibility of protecting the Alamo Church and Long Barrack – the original mission’s two surviving structures – along with priceless artifacts, and the millions ...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 82: Cinco De Mayo
 
This week, the world celebrated Cinco de Mayo - a holiday that’s gained notoriety throughout the years, with themed parties and restaurant specials. But what really happened on that fateful May 5th?
 
We reveal the origins of Cinco de Mayo, and how our story here at the Alamo intersects with the historical path that led to this day. Featuri...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 81: Preserving Precious Alamo Artifacts
 
As the calendar turns to May, the Alamo celebrates Preservation Month. Our responsibility to preserve Texas history includes the preservation of precious artifacts.
 
We reveal the latest artifacts to be added to the Alamo’s vault, how our team of experts finds artifacts of interest, and why the Alamo is always on the ...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 80: San Jacinto's Infamous Prisoner
 
The 18-minute Battle of San Jacinto proved to be a decisive victory for Texas, ensuring its independence and the establishment of a Republic. But in its wake, some unfinished business remained: what to do with a prisoner of war who happened to be the opponent’s President and General?
 
We reveal the events that unfold...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 79: San Jacinto - Brief Battle, Long Legacy
 
The Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, lasted just 18 minutes. The brief battle leaves a long legacy as the decisive win gained Texas its hard-fought independence.
 
We reveal the battle from a descendant historian’s perspective, and the impact of San Jacinto on both world politics and the ordinary people liv...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 78: Why The Alamo?
 
There are places around the world that become part of the cultural zeitgeist. You hear the name and instantly understand its importance. The Alamo is one of those places.
 
We reveal why - why the Alamo, over and over and over through the centuries, found itself in the crossroads of history. Featuring the Alamo's Senior Curator, Histo...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 77: Inside The Archaeology Lab
 
The largest continuous archaeological excavation on Alamo grounds is now complete. For the past year and a half, our archaeology team has combed the earth outside the Long Barrack and discovered around 250,000 artifacts.
 
We reveal what’s now happening inside the archaeology lab, the rare finds giving us a fresh glimpse at fro...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 76: The Goliad Massacre
 
Three weeks after the stunning defeat at the Alamo, the Texas revolutionaries suffered another gut-wrenching loss. On this day 189 years ago – March 27, 1836 – hundreds of Texas soldiers were executed, in what would become known as the Goliad Massacre.
 
We reveal the unease Mexican leaders felt before carrying out Santa Anna’s execut...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 75: The Battle Of Coleto Creek
 
With Texans reeling from the fall of the Alamo, the front lines of battle shift about 90 miles southeast of San Antonio to the town of Goliad. After two days of fighting, the Texas troops - under a leadership wracked with indecision - surrender.
 
We reveal how the Battle of Coleto Creek unfolded 189 years ago today, as the tro...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 74: The Runaway Scrape

The Alamo has fallen. Panic grips the frontier. People of all ages, all walks of life – from landowners to shopkeepers, family men to politicians – flee their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs and what they can carry, struggling to beat the Mexican Army east.

We reveal the origins of the Runaway Scrape, the desperate conditi...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 73: The Battle Of The Alamo's Survivors
 
Today is March 6, 2025 - the 189th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo. That’s one year for every known Defender who sacrificed everything for Texas freedom. Among those Defenders were people caught in the crossfire who survived, and whose lives were spared.
 
We reveal the vivid memories of these eyewitnesses ...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 72: Behind The Alamo's Walls

Imagine being inside the Alamo compound 189 years ago this week. The Alamo is under siege with regular cannon fire from Mexican soldiers, a form of both physical and psychological warfare.
 
We reveal what life was like behind the Alamo’s walls in the weeks, days, hours and minutes leading up to the fateful Battle of the Alam...