Texas

"Texas Cities on the Rise" This episode chronicles the dramatic urban transformation of Texas through the rise of its major cities - Austin, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio - each developing distinct identities while grappling with rapid growth and demographic change. Thatch explores how Austin became a technology and music hub while maintaining its "weird" character, how Houston leveraged space exploration and medical research alongside its energy roots, how Dallas built a gleaming financial

"Oil, Cowboys, and Country Roads" This episode explores the transformation of Texas from a cattle-ranching frontier into an oil-powered industrial empire, beginning with the legendary Spindletop gusher of 1901. Barnaby Thatch examines how Texas successfully integrated new oil wealth with existing cowboy culture, creating a unique synthesis where wildcatters became industrial cowboys and ranchers embraced both traditions. The narrative covers the great cattle drives, the development of massive

Join historian Barnaby Ellison Thatch as he explores the fascinating nine-year existence of the Republic of Texas as an independent nation (1836-1845). This isn't your typical Alamo story—discover how Texas operated its own currency, maintained diplomatic relations with European powers, and developed a unique cultural identity that still shapes the Lone Star State today. Thatch examines the complex collision of Native American, Mexican, and Anglo-American cultures that created something entirely new