Wise About Texas

About Wise About Texas

If you think you know Texas history, think again. This is the podcast that goes beyond the textbooks — rigorously researched, compellingly written, and delivered with a relaxed storytelling style that makes even the most serious history feel like sitting around a campfire. Your host is Justice Ken Wise: a scholar with a gift for narrative and a knack for finding the stories that surprise you. Texas history, Texas legends, Texas characters — all told the way they deserve to be told. Subscribe for new episodes and prepare to see the Lone Star State in a whole new light.

Publisher

Ken Wise

Category

education · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Nov 2015

Latest episode

4 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

28 of 176 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   4 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   EP. 156 (Live From Young County) Fort Belknap with Jim Hammond

   Host Ken Wise interviews Fort Belknap director Jim Hammond about the unique frontier fort and the dramatic Elm Creek Raid, revealing the realities of soldier life and a local hero.

2. 

   21 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   EP. 155: (Live from Young County) Starting a History Museum with Shannon Potts & Tony Widner

   Host Ken Wise interviews Shannon Potts and Tony Widner as they share how they transformed a Piggly Wiggly into a history museum, revealing Young County's rich frontier stories and prized artifacts.

3. 

   31 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Ep. 154: When Lone Star Cowboys Took the Sport of Kings

   Host [Host Name] interviews [Guest Name] about the surprising history of polo in Texas, revealing how Lone Star cowboys shaped the sport of kings.

Inside a recent episode

EP. 156 (Live From Young County) Fort Belknap with Jim Hammond

Published 4 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] I mean, because they're shoulder to shoulder. That's what the soldiers are being taught when they come out to the frontier. Not only that, but they're also wearing bright blue clothes. And all the metal that they have on them is shiny and polished. Whereas the Comanche, on the other hand, they don't fight the gentleman's warfare. They're going to fight ambush and attack. They've got their style. And they also, with their clothing, what they're wearing, it blends in with the surrounding area. So they're camouflaged. It really is more of a guerrilla tactic. So kind of the easy example is, yes, Fort Belknap had cannons whenever it was artillery there, whenever it was active, but they were absolutely useless because the Comanche knew not to stand in front of a cannon whenever it was being fired. […]

Who has been a guest on Wise About Texas

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jim Hammond
• Shannon Potts
• Tony Widner
• Rosser Coke Newton

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

570,069

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

1,062 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

115 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 77 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

89

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

76

Contact Wise About Texas

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Wise About Texas