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Fort Worth
KNOWLEDGE OF Fort Worth
Welcome to Fort Worth, known for many years in Texas as "Where the West Begins." Established in 1849 as an army post to protect East Texas settlements from Indian attack, Forth Worth was named for General William Jenkins Worth, one of the first commanders of the outpost and a veteran of the War of 1812, the French and Indian War and the Mexican War. The little outpost quickly developed a rowdy reputation, which was intensified with the establishment of a stage line from Fort Worth to Yuma, Arizona, in 1850. But by 1853, the frontier had moved to the west and the fort was abandoned. The buildings from the fort housed the town of Fort Worth as settlers, soldiers, cowboys and even outlaws took up residence.
Tarrant County's first county seat was in Birdville (now part of Haltom City), which was actually a larger community than Fort Worth. The courthouse, used from 1850-1856, was housed in a log cabin. As Fort Worth grew in population, its citizens forced an election in 1856 to decide where the county seat should be. Fort Worth won the election, and despite Birdville's protests and another election four years later, the county seat remained Fort Worth, as it still is today.
As the demand for beef in the East rose after the U.S. Civil War, cowboys rounded up millions of free-ranging longhorns and drove them north to market along the Chisholm Trail. Fort Worth was the last bit of civilization before the long lonely trail drive, so by 1866, the town had a new nickname, "Cowtown," and a new source of prosperity in the cattle business—not to mention an even rowdier reputation and a famous neighborhood known as Hell's Half Acre. It is said that even Butch Cassidy, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang stopped here to enjoy food and fun!
By 1872, Fort Worth was ready for a new step into the future: bringing the railroad through Texas. In 1873, Captain B.B. Paddock developed a map showing Fort Worth in the center of a circle and proposed rail lines radiating in all directions from that center. As the map began to resemble a giant tarantula, it was fittingly named the Tarantula Map and became the main plan used to attract railroads to the city. Despite many difficulties and delays, the Texas and Pacific Railroad pulled into Fort Worth in 1876; by 1900, nine railroads were operating through the town. Part of the first true effort to establish an extended rail system in North America, it was a narrow-gauge route going from St. Louis, Missouri, through Eagle Pass, Texas, on the Mexican border, and then into the interior of Mexico. Known as the Cotton Belt Route, the route was extended into Fort Worth in 1887 as an outlet for lumber, and passenger service continued until about 1930. The Tarantula Train is now a popular tourist attraction.
It was only natural for a thriving meatpacking industry to be next to spring up in Fort Worth—after all, the railroads were now in place to bring in the cattle and ship out the meat. Swift and Armour, among other packers, built regional plants—Swift's on the south hillside of Exchange Avenue and Armour's on the north side. The plants opened in late 1902 and held grand openings in March 1903 in conjunction with the annual livestock show, known today as the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show. A month later, the Exchange building opened, and the Cowtown Coliseum followed in 1908. By 1909, the new city of North Fort Worth had grown to a population of 12,000 and was annexed by its older sibling. Eight years later, cattlemen decided to hold a contest for cowboys in the coliseum. Lacking a name, one rancher suggested "rodeo," the Spanish word for "roundup."
Tarrant County's first county seat was in Birdville (now part of Haltom City), which was actually a larger community than Fort Worth. The courthouse, used from 1850-1856, was housed in a log cabin. As Fort Worth grew in population, its citizens forced an election in 1856 to decide where the county seat should be. Fort Worth won the election, and despite Birdville's protests and another election four years later, the county seat remained Fort Worth, as it still is today.
As the demand for beef in the East rose after the U.S. Civil War, cowboys rounded up millions of free-ranging longhorns and drove them north to market along the Chisholm Trail. Fort Worth was the last bit of civilization before the long lonely trail drive, so by 1866, the town had a new nickname, "Cowtown," and a new source of prosperity in the cattle business—not to mention an even rowdier reputation and a famous neighborhood known as Hell's Half Acre. It is said that even Butch Cassidy, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang stopped here to enjoy food and fun!
By 1872, Fort Worth was ready for a new step into the future: bringing the railroad through Texas. In 1873, Captain B.B. Paddock developed a map showing Fort Worth in the center of a circle and proposed rail lines radiating in all directions from that center. As the map began to resemble a giant tarantula, it was fittingly named the Tarantula Map and became the main plan used to attract railroads to the city. Despite many difficulties and delays, the Texas and Pacific Railroad pulled into Fort Worth in 1876; by 1900, nine railroads were operating through the town. Part of the first true effort to establish an extended rail system in North America, it was a narrow-gauge route going from St. Louis, Missouri, through Eagle Pass, Texas, on the Mexican border, and then into the interior of Mexico. Known as the Cotton Belt Route, the route was extended into Fort Worth in 1887 as an outlet for lumber, and passenger service continued until about 1930. The Tarantula Train is now a popular tourist attraction.
It was only natural for a thriving meatpacking industry to be next to spring up in Fort Worth—after all, the railroads were now in place to bring in the cattle and ship out the meat. Swift and Armour, among other packers, built regional plants—Swift's on the south hillside of Exchange Avenue and Armour's on the north side. The plants opened in late 1902 and held grand openings in March 1903 in conjunction with the annual livestock show, known today as the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show. A month later, the Exchange building opened, and the Cowtown Coliseum followed in 1908. By 1909, the new city of North Fort Worth had grown to a population of 12,000 and was annexed by its older sibling. Eight years later, cattlemen decided to hold a contest for cowboys in the coliseum. Lacking a name, one rancher suggested "rodeo," the Spanish word for "roundup."
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