Fort Worth Texas Early History
Fort Worth Texas has gone through various evolutions into what it is today. From being a barrier against the threat from Native Americans to a thriving cattle town and later to a corporate center of modern time, Fort Worth has changed dramatically over the years. The good side about all the phases it went through is that the history of Fort Worth, Tx, and its heritage are well preserved even till modern time.
Fort Worth is located on interstate highways 35W, 20 and 30 including the Clear Fork of Trinity River all located in the central Tarrant County. The name Forth Worth came to be in honor of a United States Army General William Jenkins Worth who proposed ten forth line to mark western Texas frontier which includes the confluence of the West Fork and the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.
A post-camp was later founded on June 6, 1849, on the bank of Trinity River and was named Post Camp Worth in honor of General Worth. It was officially renamed as Forth Worth on 14th November 1849 by the United States War Department.
Early settlers of Forth Worth include George W. Terrell, Ed Terrell, Ephraim M. Daggett and Howard W. Peak. The army later evacuated from Fort Worth on September 17, 1853, after a new line of forth was built in the west and this allowed settlers to have complete possession of the site. At that point, Fort Worth began to experience growth with the advent of schools, stores, and factories. The first school was established in 1854 by John Peter Smith with twelve students enrolled. The duo of Archibald Leonard and Henry Daggett opened departmental stores while Julian Field built a flour mill in 1856.
Due to the battle for supremacy between Birdville and Forth Worth, a county seat war broke out in 1855. Birdville from the year 1849 had been the county seat until when the citizen of Forth Worth engaged in a fight to have it changed to their town. Fort Worth won the battle in April 1860.
The town suffered the effect civil war of the 1860s which led to a drop in population to as low as 175 at appoint, but the city bounced back gradually with school and businesses opening up again. The major economic boom came for Forth Worth through the cattle industry, and this gave it the name Cowtown.
A mayor-council government was incorporated in 1873, and the first mayor happened to be W. P. Burts. Development in infrastructures such as fire department, transportation, and communication was witness given rise to massive growth for the town. The convergence of railway terminus was also a major boost the city received.
A new industry sprang forth in the 1890s and it was beef dressing industry. The citizens of Fort Worth offered a $100,000 incentive to Swift and Company and Armour and Company to have their plant located in the town. The plants were constructed and opened in 1903 leading to the rise of livestock-related businesses in the area. We are proud to call Fort Worth Texas our home.
