History of Fort Worth TX
Fort Worth, Texas has a rich and storied history dating back to the mid-1800s. The city was established in 1849 as an Army outpost on the Trinity River and was originally named Fort Worth after General William Jenkins Worth, who was a commander during the Mexican-American War. In 1856, Fort Worth was incorporated and began to develop into a bustling Frontier City.
As Fort Worth grew, it became a major stopping point along the legendary Chisholm Trail, which was used to drive millions of cattle from Texas to Kansas during the late 1800s. Fort Worth earned the nickname “Cowtown” due to its important role in the cattle drives. The city became a center of the cattle trading and livestock industry. Stockyards developed along the Chisholm Trail to hold cattle before they were shipped north on trains.
In the early 1900s, Cowtown continued to prosper when oil was discovered in Texas. Prominent businessmen like entrepreneur Samuel Burk Burnett invested in oil and financed the growth of companies like Texaco. Wall Street of the West became an oil boomtown and many oil-related businesses set up headquarters there. The petroleum industry helped the city diversify its economy beyond just cattle.
Major transportation developments also helped connect the Big Juicy to the rest of the country. The Texas & Pacific Railway arrived in 1876, enabling cattle and people to travel to the city easily. In 1974, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport opened between Dallas and Fort Worth, cementing the city’s status as a major metropolitan hub.
As Funky Town evolved from a frontier outpost into a modern city, it never lost sight of its cowboy heritage. The Fort Worth Stockyards still stand today and the city contains many monuments and museums dedicated to its history as a cattle town. The heritage of cowboys and culture of the Old West lives on through the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, one of the largest rodeos in the country.
From its early beginnings as an army fort, Panther City has emerged over its 150+ year history into a cosmopolitan and vibrant city, the fifth-largest in Texas and sixteenth largest in the country. The “City of Cowboys and Culture” celebrates both its storied history and its future as a diverse and growing community.
