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. Featuring the Alamo's Senior Historian Ernesto Rodriguez.

2025 World Heritage Festival: https://www.worldheritagefestival.org
The Alamo's Mission Days event: https://www.thealamo.org/visit/mission-day

Bonus Rewind Episode ⏮️ "Connecting The San Antonio Missions - https://youtu.be/QJQ2cpWT1Qo?si=g0gwaYkprjjbNO6D

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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 independence, and how their renowned battle skills led to a warfare game changer. Featuring The Texas Center's Dr. Don Frazier from Schreiner University.

More on Dr. Frazier's book "Frontier Texas:" https://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Texas-History-Borderland-1880/dp/1880510839
Texas State Historical Association article on the Comanches: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/comanche-indians
View photos of the Alamo's Colt revolvers: https://www.thealamo.org/podcast/episode-95

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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 the business, and secured them both places in Texas history books. Featuring the Alamo's Senior Researcher & Historian Kolby Lanham.

View photos of the Alamo's Colt revolvers: https://www.thealamo.org/podcast/episode-95
Read more on Colt revolvers in Texas: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/colt-revolvers

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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 a new generation of visitors to the Alamo, how you can be among the first to see it, and why the Alamo is embracing this piece of Hollywood history. Featuring the Alamo's Senior Historian Ernesto Rodriguez.

CBS News story on the Alamo acquiring the bicycle: https://youtu.be/taywJcv44QA?si=UCr6Jk1CvMxh5u_O
Be the first to see the bike at our Friends of the Alamo preview: https://www.thealamo.org/visit/pop-culture-preview-pee-wees-bicycle
Plan your visit to see the bike at the Alamo Exhibit: https://www.thealamo.org/plan-your-visit/

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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 sure students of all backgrounds have access to the rich history here at the Alamo. Featuring the Alamo's Director of Education Alex Rivard and Texas school teachers Amanda Rasco, Juan Carlos Vasquez, and Zelina Cruz.

The Alamo's Professional Development Programs for educators: https://www.thealamo.org/teach/workshops-for-credit
The Alamo Teacher Institute: https://www.thealamo.org/alamo-teacher-institute
The Alamo's field trip opportunities: https://www.thealamo.org/teach/field-trips

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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 and Battle of the Alamo, how their company flag stands the test of time, and the legacy left behind by their sacrifice for freedom. Featuring the Alamo's Senior Historian Ernesto Rodriguez and Alamo Living Historian Scott Jones.

See New Orleans Greys flag on display in Mexico City: https://www.thealamo.org/fileadmin/assets/support/research_and_studies/new_orleans_greys_flag.jpeg
View artwork featuring New Orleans Greys flag: https://digital.utsa.edu/digital/collection/p9020coll008/id/9460/

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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 types of wounds that resulted from weapons of the time, and why it’s important that history remembers how battlefield medicine was practiced. Featuring the Alamo's former curator Dr. Bruce Winders.

View William Henry Huddle's painting "The Surrender of Santa Anna:" https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/the-surrender-of-santa-anna
Attend Dr. Winders' upcoming talk at San Jacinto: https://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/Visit/Calendar/Lecture_Weapons_and_Wounds_of_the_Texas_Revolution/?date=08%2F16%2F2025

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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 from the heavy price of freedom. Featuring independent author and historian James Bevill.

James Bevill's book "The Paper Republic:" https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Republic-Struggle-Credit-Independence/dp/1933979259

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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 bloodiest conflict. Featuring the Texas Center's Dr. Don Frazier.

More on Dr. Frazier: https://www.tshaonline.org/about/people/donald-frazier
Dr. Frazier's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donald-S.-Frazier/author/B001HPGPZQ?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=5c05e4ef-4ea8-4690-8ec3-cf802f324451
Essay on San Antonio and the Civil War by Dr. Bruce Winders: https://www.thealamo.org/remember/military-occupation/alamo-in-the-civil-war

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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 in making Juneteenth a federal holiday… and the powerful performance taking place today, at the Alamo. Featuring author and historian Edward Cotham, and Texas Commission on the Arts "Texas Touring Roster Artist" Dr. Jolie Rocke.

More on Edward Cotham's work: https://www.edcotham.com
More on Dr. Jolie Rocke's work: https://www.arts.texas.gov/product/jolie-rocke/

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