From Here to History

12/26/2025

We have a new release! In this episode we discuss Houdini's war on Spiritualism, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Houdini's death on Halloween in 1926, and delve a little into the elements of Spiritualism that continue today. Thanks for listening!

In the second of two episodes on Houdini and the Spiritualists, we discuss Houdini's multi-front war against fraudulent mediums. It was an all-consuming undertaking, waged from the stage, in print, on lecture tours, and in the halls of congress. A...

10/31/2025

Just in time for Halloween! In the first of two parts, we will weave a kind of dual biography: Harry Houdini and the spiritualist movement. While Houdini is perfecting his craft to become the world's most famous illusionist, scores of Americans and Europeans are being drawn into darkened rooms with mediums who can talk to the dead. Eventually, maybe inevitably, these two, the magician and the movement, will intersect and then clash.

09/12/2025

Both parts of Chris and Jason's biographical sketch of Dolly Parton are up! Jason makes a very compelling argument for Dolly being among the top 5 American women in history but will it be enough to convince Chris and the wider audience? You be the judge!

https://fromheretohistory.buzzsprout.com

04/05/2025

Quanah Parker built his famous Star House in around 1890. Much of the cost was put up by Texas cattleman with whom Quanah did a lot of business. Today it is marked as a historic site but, since it sits on private land and is privately owned, government funds cannot be used to restore it. Time and the elements have taken their toll and it is in sad shape. The owner will still give tours, just contact the Trading Post Restaurant in Cache, OK

04/05/2025

Ranald Mackenzie commanded the 4th cavalry during the Red River War. He was tasked with bringing the Comanche in to the reservation, by almost any means necessary. He was a hard-bitten, hard-driving soldier and did his job well. But, remarkably, he and Quanah became friends in the reservation period. Mackenzie made multiple inquiries to find out the fate of Quanah's mother before he ever met Quanah in person. Mackenzie had a distinguished military career but died an obscure death after several stints in and out of mental institutions.

04/05/2025

We devoted a lot of Episode 4: Until Day Breaks to the story of Quanah Parker. He was the son of Cynthia Ann, who was captured by the Comanche as a 9-year-old in 1836, and her husband the warrior Peta Nocona. His father's death and mother's recapture left him practically as an orphan at age 12. He adapted to the hardship and was a warrior himself by his late teens. His band was among the last to come onto the reservation at Ft Sill and he became a wealthy cattleman and a spokesman for his people.

04/05/2025

Time for some visuals! In our final episode on the Comanche, we opened with The Great Raid. Buffalo Hump led the largest Comanche mobilization in retaliation for the Council House Massacre. They cut a wide path all the way to the Gulf Cost of Texas. The city of Linnville was hit hard and never recovered. This marker at modern Port Lavaca, TX is all that remains.

03/18/2025

The Comanche peaked and then fell in the decades between 1840 and 1880. In this episode, we discuss that story arc. From the Comanche retaliation against Texas for the Council House Massacre, through a brief peace with the Texans, drought and declining bison herds, collapsing population, and finally to the back-and-forth relations with the US that culminated in the reservation period. In the middle of this story, Quanah Parker emerges as a great Comanche warrior who would then, in an unexpected pivot, urge assimilation as the last, best hope for his people.

https://fromheretohistory.buzzsprout.com/1927166/episodes/16809814-the-comanches-pt-4-until-day-breaks

11/30/2024

Also from our latest episode: 2 Texas presidents Sam Houston and Mirabeau Lamar. Houston preferred peace with the Comanche and tried to draw up permanent boundaries for Texas & Comancheria. Lamar took a much harder line and took war to the Comanche instead.

11/30/2024

At Walker's behest, Sam C**t redesigned his first pistol and thereby created a very potent weapon for mounted fighting on the plains. C**t was bankrupt at the time and the Walker C**t saved him. Look closer to see the battle scene from Walkers Creek engraved on the cylinder.

11/30/2024

We introduced the Texas Rangers in our latest episode, mainly through the experiences of Jack Hays (bearded) and Samuel Walker, both pictured below. Hays was an innovative tactician, Walker was pivotal in making the C**t pistol a more effective battle weapon.

11/30/2024

Our latest episode on the Comanche covered a lot of ground. One of the most dramatic scenes was the raid on Parker's Fort, near modern-day Mexia, TX. The 1836 fort no longer exists, the pictures below are of the replica that has been in place since 1967!