KEY Magazine Fort Worth

Historic Fort Worth

Fort Worth is the city "where the west begins," geographically, and where more than a trace of the Old West is still visible in its sophisticated, cultural and economically strong environment. Fort Worth grew from one of the first white settlements along the Trinity River. The harsh climate of the 1840s, however, soon drove the settlers back toward the Red River. General Edward H. Tarrant and General George W. Terrell took over the abandoned fort and met with Indian leaders to work out a more peaceful living arrangement for all of them. A few years later, the U.S. Dragoons, under Major Ripley Arnold, chose the Trinity River area to make camp. The camp eventually became Camp Worth in honor of General William Jenkins Worth, a leader in the War with Mexico. Rules in Camp Worth were strict and some of them brought trouble to the settlement. During those years, many people used a gun to settle disputes.

As cattle herds began to grow in Texas, a market to the north was found. Trail hands passed near the fledgling town on their way to join the Chisholm Trail. It was a good place to buy provisions for the long trip ahead of them. Drinking, gambling, and fights were also part of the stop in what became Fort Worth. Churches and calmer businesses grew along with the town, but cowboys visiting those places didn't get much press.

When the railroad came to Fort Worth in the late 1870s, trail drivers no longer took herds north to market. Cattle were shipped on railcars to different parts of the United States. The Stockyards grew out of that time in history. Real cowboys still walk those streets; however, they settle disputes with a little more civility than their ancestors, but the city still has a western edge.

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