Come And Take It

Early on the morning of April 16, 1947, the booming port of Texas City, Texas, became the site of the deadliest industrial accident in American history.

Texas is a big state with a rich history, so naturally it attracts some big and rich myths and legends, especially political ones. This week we look at the facts and history behind some of the myths and legends in the Lone Star State.

For many years there has been debate in the state about which Major League baseball team is the “true” baseball team of Texas. At either end of the I-45 corridor sit two great franchises with amazing histories, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. This week we take a look at highs and lows of the heroes of the diamond in Arlington, TX, the Texas Rangers.

The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía,more commonly known as Goliad, has a long history as some of the most fought over ground in Texas. For over a century, the Presidio, or fortress, at Goliad had been one of the most important military installations in Texas, and was the center of several bloody battles. The most famous of these was on March 27, 1836, Palm Sunday, when the Texan garrison of Goliad, under Col. James Fannin, was marched out of the presidio and executed by their Mexican captors. This massacre would spur Texas forces on in their fight for independence. This week we Remember Goliad!

The men who filled the ranks of the early Texas Rangers were of a unique breed, and many went on to serve the Republic and State of Texas in greater roles.

While today the Texas Rangers are a branch of the Department of Public Safety, their roots stretch back to the loosely-organized militia that ranged the frontier in Texas during the late 1800s. A unique breed of self-sufficient soldiers, the Rangers went toe-to-toe with Indians, Mexican troops, and outlaws to become legendary.

Fifteen years in the making, The Alamo was a dream project for legendary Western star John Wayne. Through trials and tribulations, Wayne assembled a cast and crew in South Texas and created a sprawling epic that for many years was the defining vision of most famous battle in Texas history. Today we discuss the fabulous story of this classic film and its own impact on the story of Texas.

In 1950, Harmon Dobson founded a hamburger stand that would become a Texas institution. Join us as we discuss the history of Whataburger, on Come and Take It!

A few miles past the middle of nowhere, deep in the desert of west Texas is Loving County, the least populous county in the United States. Yet this tiny place has a rich and fascinating history, and a unique character that is as big as Texas! Travel with us to Mentone, Tx, as we explore the story of Loving County, America's emptiest county, the ultimate in Small Town Texas!

African-American frontiersman Britton Johnson became a legend on the Texas Frontier for bravery and perseverance in setting out alone into Comancheria to search for his captured wife and children. Through two years of trial and heartache, he not only succeeded in liberating his family but several other captives as well. This week we learn about the life and death of a true Texas Original, Britton Johnson!

Starting in 1855, the U.S. Army experimented with camels as pack animals in the arid plains and hills of West Texas. While the evaluations seemed to go well, eventually the whole idea was abandoned and the U.S. Camel Corps became a footnote in the history of the Lone Star State.

Present at the first and last battles of Texas, Creed Taylor was a soldier, ranger, father, and possibly even an outlaw. Join us this week as we discuss one of the most interesting lives in Texas history.

This week we finish our examination of the Reconstruction Era by looking at the Lee-Peacock Feud in the Corners Region north of Dallas, one of the bloodiest conflicts during the era. We also see the rise and fall of the Radical Republicans, and the legacy of the Reconstruction.

The summer of 1865 found Texas in a state of chaos as the Civil War came to an end. It was the start of a decade that brought more conflict and violence than even the previous four years of war had, with the political and social future of the state in the balance. This week we present the first episode in a two part series as we look at the first years of Reconstruction in Texas.

Other places claim to have the best barbeque, but only Texas has the rich variety of different styles and techniques to be the Barbeque King of the World!

"Of the many ghost towns in Texas, none died as tragic a death as Indianola." Join us today as we examine the amazing history of Indianola, the Queen City of Texas. In only 45 years, this town on Texas coast went from a tiny drop off point for the German settlements to become the second largest port in the state before its tragic descruction from two terrible hurricanes. Today it is only a wind swept historical site and fishing pier, but Texas will never forget the city that became know as "The Mother of Western Texas".

In 1854 the first Polish colony was founded in America, right here in Texas! We discuss the journey, hardships, and history of these amazing Texans.

From 1861 to 1865, the flag of the Confederacy flew over Texas as its sixth flag. While war raged in the other Southern states, it rarely touched Texas directly. The impact of this terrible conflict would continue to be felt in the Lone Star State into modern times.

For most of Texas' early history, the Comanche people were the most powerful Indian tribe in the state and the Southern Plains, and the great fear of Texan settlers was that they would join together and strike deep into the heart of the state. In 1840, conflict with the Republic of Texas would see the Comanche and their allies do just that, as they launched the largest raid against European settlement in US history, a raid all the way from the Panhandle to the Gulf. Today on Come and Take It, we discuss The Great Raid of 1840 and the history of the Comanche in Texas.

The story of Texas has always been about self-reliance and living on the edge of the frontier. There is no better example of this than the crucial role that Texas---and the Houston area in particular---have played in the United States’ manned space flight program.