Author: Harold Rich Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press ISBN: 0806147180 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 379
Book Description
From its beginnings as an army camp in the 1840s, Fort Worth has come to be one of Texas’s—and the nation’s—largest cities, a thriving center of culture and commerce. But along the way, the city’s future, let alone its present prosperity, was anything but certain. Fort Worth tells the story of how this landlocked outpost on the arid plains of Texas made and remade itself in its early years, setting a pattern of boom-and-bust progress that would see the city through to the twenty-first century. Harold Rich takes up the story in 1880, when Fort Worth found itself in the crosshairs of history as the cattle drives that had been such an economic boon became a thing of the past. He explores the hard-fought struggle that followed—with its many stops, failures, missteps, and successes—beginning with a single-minded commitment to attracting railroads. Rail access spurred the growth of a modern municipal infrastructure, from paved streets and streetcars to waterworks, and made Fort Worth the transportation hub of the Southwest. Although the Panic of 1893 marked another setback, the arrival of Armour and Swift in 1903 turned the city’s fortunes once again by expanding its cattle-based economy to include meatpacking. With a rich array of data, Fort Worth documents the changes wrought upon Fort Worth’s economy in succeeding years by packinghouses and military bases, the discovery of oil and the growth of a notorious vice district, Hell’s Half Acre. Throughout, Rich notes the social trends woven inextricably into this economic history and details the machinations of municipal politics and personalities that give the story of Fort Worth its unique character. The first thoroughly researched economic history of the city’s early years in more than five decades, this book will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Fort Worth, urban history and municipal development, or the history of Texas and the West.
Author: Janet L. Schmelzer Publisher: Waak Enterprises ISBN: 1939379008 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 271
Book Description
The deadline was the hour of adjournment of the 1876 Texas legislative session. The Texas and Pacific Railroad was on the edge of losing a fifteen-million-dollar land grant if it failed to complete the track to Fort Worth on time. For the struggling frontier town, the stakes were higher – its very future was on the line. Known as a prairie oasis, Fort Worth had grown into a bustling town during the time when cowboys moving their herds north to market stopped for supplies an da little entertainment and refreshment in the saloons and dance halls before heading out into the hot sun and dusty plains. Business was brisk in these times, but the days of the long trail drive were numbered. "Cowtown" needed a railroad to survive. Construction of the Texas and Pacific line proved difficult and slow. Confidence sagged under debts brought on by a nationwide banking crisis. During the lowest point, a letter to the editor of the Dallas Herald compared Fort Worth to a cemetery. But Fort Worth refused to die. Where the West Begins chronicles this railroad race to Fort Worth and the subsequent rise of "Cowtown" as a livestock center. Completion of the railroad link to Fort Worth also proved a decided asset for Tarrant County, attracting links from more railroads and new industries. The new county would soon be on its way to becoming the successful and prosperous region it is today. Written by Janet L. Schmelzer, Where the West Begins traces Fort Worth's energetic advance from the days of a cattle town through the era of oil and aviation, and today's high technology and finance – while showcasing Tarrant County's pride in its Western heritage and culture. This is the exciting story of a vibrant county and its primary city that unfolds in a dramatic visual adventure. Truly, here is the story of where the West begins.
Author: Harold Rich
Author: Historical Records Survey (Tex.)
Author: Texas State Publications Clearinghouse
Author: Janet L. Schmelzer
Author: Randolph Benton Marcy
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Author: Library of Congress. Exchange and Gift Division
Author: University of Texas
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Author: Oregon. Supreme Court