Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 102: The Battle Of Gonzales

“Come and take it!” Those four words and a gunshot marked the beginning of the Texas Revolution on October 2, 1835 – 190 years ago today.
 
We reveal what led to the Battle of Gonzales, how its battle cry evokes the spirit of the American Revolution, and what became of the cannon at the center of this fight. Featuring the Alamo&apo...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 101: Safeguarding The Alamo's Artifacts Against Every Scenario
 
From power outages and pipe breaks, to floods and fires: the Alamo, like any museum or cultural site, must be prepared.
 
We reveal how the Shrine of Texas Liberty safeguards artifacts against the worst-case scenario, what our experts have learned from disasters far and wide, and what you ca...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 100: The Texas Centennial
 
It’s a big day for us at the Alamo Podcast. Not only are we celebrating our two-year anniversary – it's our 100th episode. We are marking the occasion with a special look at the Texas Centennial.

We reveal how the Lone Star State celebrated 100 years of independence, where on Alamo grounds you’ll see symbols of the milestone, ...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 99: The Republic Of Texas Navy
 
The Texas Navy safeguarded the Texas coastline for nearly 10 years - a proud, if lesser known, facet of the fight to forge and maintain a free and independent Texas.
 
Wee reveal the humble origins of the Texas Navy, the expensive yet effective efforts to bolster the seafaring force, and how a power struggle between its command...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 98: The Travis Letter's Journey Home

With the Alamo under siege, Lt. Col. William Barret Travis penned a letter to the people of Texas and all Americans in the world. His passionate plea for help is now one of the most treasured artifacts in all of Texas.
 
We reveal the successful effort to bring the Travis Letter back home to the Alamo, for good: the p...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 97: What Is A Mission?
 
Before it was a world-famous battle site, and before it was called the Alamo, the land we know today was a humble Spanish Mission - a place to expand an empire – through faith and education.
 
We reveal what is a mission: why they moved around, how San Antonio came to have so many, and the legacy of people who called our missions home....

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 96: The Texans & The Comanches
 
The Comanches rode through history on horseback, earning a reputation as formidable foes on the frontier. The Indigenous tribe both served as witness and played an active role in every era of Texas history.

We reveal how the Comanches first encountered Spanish settlers, the part they played in the fight for Texas independe...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 95: How Texas Saved Samuel Colt
 
An impossible gun that could shoot five or six times before reloading. An inventor from Connecticut made it possible at a time when the young Republic of Texas needed weapons.
 
We reveal why making this impossible gun nearly broke Samuel Colt, and how a Texas Ranger with ideas to make it better reversed his fortunes, saved th...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 94: Where's The Basement? Pee-Wee's Impact At The Alamo
 
Starting this week, a new treasure goes on display at the Alamo. It’s not a battle weapon or a document. It’s a red Schwinn bicycle made famous by Pee-wee Herman as his unforgettable quest to find his missing bike takes him, of all places, to the Alamo.
 
We reveal how this bicycle has driven ...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 93: Back To School With The Alamo
 
Students and teachers across Texas are in countdown mode, with the new school year beginning in just weeks. Our Education Team here at the Alamo is here to help them get straight A’s.
 
We reveal how our Education Team spent summer vacation - from taking teachers on historical journeys through Texas and Mexico, to making sur...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 92: The New Orleans Greys
 
A simple flag with its gold fringe trim flew at the Alamo during the fateful battle on March 6, 1836. The flag belonged to the New Orleans Greys, a volunteer company that joined the Texas Revolution. Most of its men never lived to see an independent Texas.
 
We reveal the pivotal role the New Orleans Greys played during the Siege an...

Stories Bigger Than Texas: The Alamo Podcast
Episode 91: Weapons & Wounds
 
A famous painting by William Henry Huddle depicts what happened after the Texas victory at San Jacinto. Santa Anna has surrendered. Sam Houston is negotiating the terms while lying on the ground with a bandaged leg, his tibia bone shattered by a musket ball.
 
We reveal how battle wounds were treated during the Texas Revolution, the ...

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...