These files contain the true history of the cities that make up the DFW metroplex. Please keep in mind that these are the true histories, untouched by the World of Darkness, and are provided for those of you who may have only seen the city of Dallas on television or those of you who may be from outside of the United States entirely and may have barely heard of the city itself, much less those that surround it.
Arlington
Named in honor of the house that Robert E. Lee called home for 30 years, Arlington claims a colorful and varied heritage, beginning with Native Americans and continuing through the explorations of the first Europeans and the earliest days of the Texas Republic.
The first inhabitants were American Indians, who according to archaeological evidence may have lived in the area as early as 5,000 B.C. By late Colonial times, the primary residents of this area were the Caddo tribe, whose settlement in what is now West Arlington may have numbered up to 25,000. In addition to farming and hunting, the Caddos did a brisk trade with French, Spanish and Mexican traders for agricultural goods, pottery and other finished goods. The first attempts at Anglo colonization began with the construction in 1841 of Birds Fort by Major Jonathan Bird and the Texas Rangers. Later settlement included Johnson Station, a stage stop and trading post near Marrow Bone Springs, which was authorized by Sam Houston to serve as a dividing line between settlers and the American Indian tribes being driven into the area by westward expansion. Friction developed between the tribes and Anglo settlers, resulting at last in the 1841 Battle of Village Creek. General Edward H. Tarrant led the assault of 69 volunteers upon the Caddo villages on Village Creek, burning 225 Indian lodges and pursuing the survivors northward. The tribes who had long inhabited the valley permanently abandoned their settlements after the battle.
In 1843 the Republic of Texas signed its first peace treaty here with nine tribes, including representatives from the Caddo, Keechie, Waco, Cherokee, Delaware and Biloxi tribes. Still, Indian attacks remained a common occurrence through the 1850s. In 1857 a grist mill was built on the Trinity River by Archibald Leonard; the mill was later bought by R.A. Randol and operated as Randols Mill until 1922.
During the 1860s the Civil War further disturbed the area, with the non-Indian population dropping from 6,000 to 1,000. Colonel Middleton Tate Johnson, a former Texas Ranger whose local land holdings included a large part of Tarrant County, and who had donated the land for the Fort Worth Court House and jail, joined in the Confederate cause, with Johnson Station providing armaments and volunteers to the Civil War effort.
By 1875, the Texas and Pacific Railroad was building a new line west from Dallas to Fort Worth, and settled on Johnson Station as the stop in between. However, the owner of the right of way didnt want a train coming through his property.
Thus, the railroad chose a new site three miles north of Johnson Station and west of Hayterville (sited at what is now the intersection of Collins and Abram Streets). This new station was eventually named Arlington in honor of General Robert E. Lees home in Virginia. The naming of the town has also been attributed to James Ditto, Sr., the first postmaster. Arlington was officially accepted by the Postal Service on January 22, 1877.
The first train roared through the new Arlington on July 19, 1876, and on April 19, 1884, Arlington was incorporated as a city.
With the turning of the century, Arlington concentrated on progress and prosperity. The citys first house with running water was built on Pecan St. in 1904; the first natural gas line arrived in 1909.
The Interurban, an electric trolley system linking Arlington with Fort Worth and Dallas, as well as several smaller towns, started operation on July 2, 1902. This established Arlington, not for the last time, as a convenient home for commuters.
In 1901 Arlington College, founded in 1895, became Carlisle Military Academy and began the long trek that would at last result in its becoming the present-day University of Texas at Arlington. A mineral well, known for its curative properties, had been drilled in 1892 near the intersection of Center and Main Streets; in 1910 the Arlington Commercial Club (forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce) donated a drinking fountain and changed the large open water trough to a classically styled font with spouting lions heads.
The worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918 diminished Arlington, as it did the rest of the nation. Already weakened by World War I, the city of less than 3,000 lost still more citizens to the "Spanish Flu." But by the 1920s things were looking up again. The city gained a number of businesses, including the citys second banking institution, the Arlington First National Bank. On January 17, 1920, the City Charter was adopted by the City Council. The first public library and first city park were established, and population growth necessitated a new high school, built in 1922.
But Arlington had become a "sportin' town" as well. In 1933 W.T. Waggoner opened his famous Arlington Downs racetrack—and was forced to close it in 1936, victim of the state's outlawing of pari-mutuel betting.
And Top O The Hill Terrace became a famous gambling casino, complete with secret doors and passageways. In the 1940s it was sold and became a tearoom, until it was torn down and replaced by an administration building for Arlington Baptist College.
World War II brought more changes to the small city of Arlington: The North Texas Agricultural College (originally Arlington College) became a naval and marine officer training base, with almost 900 cadets receiving instruction. War bond rallies were held around the Mineral Well, long a public gathering place. But hectic as the war years were, more changes were to come.
In 1949, the City adopted the City-Manager form of government, which authorizes the City Council to function as the Citys legislative body.
In 1951, 25-year-old Tom Vandergriff was elected Mayor by Arlingtons nearly 8,000 residents. General Motors, influenced by Vandergriff, had already announced plans to open a new auto assembly plant in Arlington, passing up invitations from Dallas. The famed Mineral Well was deemed a traffic hazard, capped and paved over. Mayor Vandergriff, impressed by the phenomenal growth of Anaheim, California, encouraged the formulation and adoption of a master plan for the cityunusually far-seeing for 1954. By 1960, Arlingtons population had grown by six-fold, reaching nearly 45,000. In 1966, Arlington State College severed its decades-long association with the Texas A&M system and joined the University of Texas system, becoming the University of Texas at Arlington.
With the opening of Six Flags Over Texas in 1961 another organization courted by Dallas chose the smaller city, and Arlington entered a new era as a regional amusement park and sports center. In 1972 Turnpike Stadium, now known as Arlington Stadium, became home to the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball Team (formerly the Washington Senators), choosing the old stadium over a new one that the City of Dallas offered to build. The city government and UTA greatly expanded in the 1970s and 1980s and built new facilities in the old downtown. By the mid-1980s, the citys population had soared to 250,000.
In 1987 Richard Greene was elected mayor of Arlington, and in 1991 the voters approved the construction of a new ballpark for the Texas Rangers. Smoking was prohibited in the public areas of retail and service establishments in Arlington. In 1993 the city announced a new curbside recycling program, and introduced a tree replacement program to counter losses due to development. In 1997, the largest capital improvements budget in the history of the city paved the way for $77 million in infrastructure and service improvements, and Elzie Odom was elected the new mayor of Arlington.
In the year 2005, voters in Arlington approved a new football stadium for the world-famous Dallas Cowboys, making Arlington the new home of the football team and stealing yet another gem from the crown of Dallas into the quiet, silent partner of the Trinity. The place where it all began remains an unnamed member of "DFW", barely known for anything despite all of its resources and the grand things to which it is home.
Credit for this history goes to the City of Arlington, Texas.
Dallas
In 1839, John Neely Bryan, first visited the place that would one day become Dallas. He had come to the three forks area of the Trinity to survey a spot for a possible trading post serving Indians and settlers. The site was the easiest place to cross the Trinity, and also near where the Preston Trail was planned. This highway would link North Texas to South Texas.
After surveying, he returned to Arkansas to settle his affairs. While he was gone, a treaty was signed, removing all Indians from North Texas. He returned in November of 1841, to find the Indians, and half of his customers, gone. So, he shifted his trading post idea to that of a permanent community. About 22 miles to the north-west, there was a community called Bird's Fort. He invited those who had settled there to come and settle in his proposed town. John Beeman arrived in April of 1842 and planted the first corn. Other families soon followed. Members of the Peters Colony settled nearby, and Peter's Colony agents bragged on the new town, now called Dallas, attracting even more settlers.
For a while, Bryan was everything to the community: postmaster, storeowner, and his home was the courthouse. In 1843, Bryan married Margaret Beeman. The town was quickly growing. In 1843, the first doctor arrived, and in 1845, the first lawyer arrived. In 1845, the first election was held on the issue of Texas' annexation to the United States. Thirty-two citizens were able to vote, 29 voted for annexation and 3 were opposed. Dallas was now a part of the state of Texas.
On March 30, 1846, Dallas County was organized. On April 18, Dallas became the temporary county seat, and a tiny log cabin served as the first courthouse. Four years later, in a close election, Dallas was named the permanent county seat. Also in 1846, the first hotel, private hall, and church were organized. The first cotton crop was planted, and it quickly became a major cash crop. In 1849, the first newspaper, the Cedar Snag, was printed. This paper was later renamed the Dallas Herald.
News of the Gold Rush in California had filtered east, and in 1849, many men passed through Dallas on their way to California. Several Dallasites left to look for gold, including Bryan. He was un-successful and returned in 1850.
By this time, Dallas had a population of 430. The first factory was built and a brickyard was established, supplying much of the materials for the construction boom lasting until the Civil War. In 1852, Cockrell bought what was left of Bryan's land. In 1855, Cockrell built a bridge over the Trinity River, providing easy transportation between Dallas and surrounding communities. He also built a sawmill and general store. After his death, his wife, Sarah Cockrell, built a flour mill and hotel.
Dallas was incorporated as a town in 1856. Samuel Pryor was elected the first mayor. Dallas continued to grow steadily. Many settlers from the failed colony of La Reunion came to Dallas and became leading citizens, adding an artistic and intellectual element to the city. By 1859, Dallas boasted a barber shop and photographer.
Two thousand people lived in Dallas by 1860. The railroad was approaching from the south, and several stage lines were already passing through. However, 1860 was a tumultuous year. Dallas began to prepare for war. Public debates on the issue of secession were held, and a volunteer company was begun. In July of that year, a fire broke out in the square, destroying most of the buildings in the business district. A slave plot was immediately suspected. Two abolitionists were run out of town. Three African-American slaves were hung, and all other slaves in the town were ordered whipped. By December, most of the town was rebuilt. The population was growing so quickly that there was a housing shortage.
In 1861, Dallas County voted 741-237 for secession. On June 8, a state of war was declared. Citizens were very supportive of the war effort. Parades were held, and the town was decorated. There was no shortage of volunteers. Since Texas and Dallas were so far from the theater of war, they gave money, flour, and various other supplies to the Southern cause. A munitions factory was built. When the Union Army began to approach Mississippi and Louisiana, their cotton was transported and stored here.
However, times were rough. Prices for basic household necessities rose dramatically. The newspaper stopped printing for almost a year. Cloth was impossible to purchase. Reconstruction brought its own set of challenges. Texan slaves were freed on June 19, 1865. Many African Americans came to Dallas after the war because the city remained prosperous compared to other Southern towns. Freedman's communities were scattered throughout Dallas. Many whites became fearful, and the Ku Klux Klan first appeared in 1868.
Many Southerners came to the Dallas area to rebuild their fortunes after the war. They could no longer maintain plantations, but the farm land of North Texas meant opportunity. Dallas continued to grow during the Reconstruction years, unlike other Southern towns that had to rebuild first. Dallas had also become the center of the buffalo market. Politics during Reconstruction were difficult. During the first election, the voter registration board allowed only those who supported African American suffrage to vote. In 1872, the governor of Texas, E.J. Davis, ordered the mayor of Dallas, Henry Ervay, to be removed from office. He refused and was thrown into jail. The state supreme court ruled that the governor did not have the power to remove officials from office, and he was released.
On July 16, 1872, the first passenger train, the Houston and Texas Central, steamed into Dallas. In 1873, the Texas and Pacific came. With the arrival of the trains, the population soared, from 3,000 in early 1872 to more than 7,000 in September of the same year. New businesses and buildings appeared daily. Telegraph lines came into town, connecting Dallas with the outside world. Dallas was now a concentration point for raw materials, such as grain and cotton, shipped to the South and East. It was a last chance for people traveling farther west to get supplies. Large, grand hotels were being built but most buildings remained plain and utilitarian.
Utilities, such as water and gas, became available. In 1871, the first volunteer fire company, Dallas Hook and Ladder Company 1, was organized. Gas lamps lighted Dallas streets in 1874. The first telephone line linked the water company to the fire station in 1880.
This intense growth did not come without problems. Farmers struggled to get fair prices for their crops. After buying supplies on credit during the year, farmers owed the merchants most of their crop.
Shipping costs to the coast were high, and the price for cotton was dropping. The Farmer's Alliance, formed in 1877, set up a warehouse in Dallas to ship cotton to St. Louis, since freight charges were cheaper. They hoped to break the cycle of poverty. However, bankers refused to finance the warehouse, and the venture failed in twenty months
Outlaws were also common during this period. Belle Starr began her adventures in Dallas as a dance hall singer and dancer, and later sold stolen horses and harbored outlaws. Doc Holliday came to Dallas to restore his health. He opened a dentist's office, but soon turned to gambling. In 1875, he killed a man and left Dallas. Sam Bass robbed four trains in two months during the spring of 1878. Three months later, Bass was killed in an ambush near Round Rock.
In 1890, Dallas annexed the city of East Dallas, which had a larger geographical area than that of Dallas. In 1893, a nation-wide financial panic stalled Dallas's growth. Several banks closed, cotton prices dropped drastically, and the lumber and flour markets all but vanished. People began to leave the city. However, by 1898, the city had begun to recover and grow again. In 1903, Oak Cliff, a city on the other side of the Trinity, was annexed.
The relationship between Dallas and the Trinity River has never been quite what Dallas has intended. Trinity River navigation was a dream of many that was never realized. Floods occurred in 1844, 1866, 1871 and 1890, but none were as disastrous as the flood of 1908. The river was 52.6 feet deep and a mile and a half wide
Five people died, four thousand people were homeless, and property damages were estimated at $2.5 million. Dallas was completely dark for three days, all telephone and telegraph service was down, and rail service was cancelled. Oak Cliff could only be reached by boat.
After the flood, the city began to discuss the possibilities of flood control and a bridge linking Oak Cliff and Dallas. Prominent citizens began to ask for long range city planning, and in 1911, George Kessler released his plan. Major points included using levees to divert the river, removing the railroad lines on Pacific Avenue, consolidating railroad depots into one central one, new parks and playgrounds, and the widening and straightening of several streets. Most of the plan gathered dust, but in later years, many began to see its importance. In 1920, Kessler was brought back to update the plan, and by the 30s, many of the ideas had been implemented.
The only thing that the city of Dallas was lacking was a major university. In 1910, efforts began to have Southwestern University in Georgetown move to Dallas. They refused, but this action brought Dallas to the attention of the Methodists. They voted in 1911 to establish a university in Dallas, after the city offered $300,000 and 666.5 acres of land for the campus. In 1915, Southern Methodist University opened its doors.
In 1911, Dallas became the location of one of twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks. The city campaigned for years, and the bank's arrival assured Dallas's place as a financial center. World War I brought Dallas to the forefront of aviation. Love Field was established as an aviation training ground, and Fair Park was the home of Camp Dick, another training facility. The city bought Love Field in 1927 to operate as a municipal airport.
The Great Depression gave Dallas a new set of challenges. By 1931, more than 18,000 people were unemployed. Before the New Deal policy began, the city established a work-for-food program that helped many. Even during the closing of the banks, many businesses continued to operate as usual. The main reason Dallas did not suffer as other cities during the Depression was the discovery of oil. In 1930, Columbus Marion "Dad" Joiner struck oil 100 miles east of Dallas. Oil was booming in East Texas, and Dallas was in the perfect position to benefit from this. In the first two months of 1931, twenty-eight businesses either formed or moved to Dallas for the oil. Banks made loans to develop the oil fields, and Dallas became the financial center for oil fields in East Texas, the Permian Basin, the Panhandle, the Gulf Coast, and Oklahoma.
After a lengthy campaign, the state of Texas chose Dallas as the site of the Texas Centennial Exposition. Dallas had a long history of hosting the State Fair of Texas. More than fifty buildings were built in Fair Park, and 10 million visitors came to see the $25 million spectacle. In 1948, a new trend in Dallas growth began. Chance Vought, now LTV, moved its headquarters to Dallas. Other corporations followed suit, and hometown corporations were also making an impact. By 1974, more than 626 companies, including Texas Instruments, EDS, and Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc, had their headquarters in Dallas. The opening of DFW International Airport in 1974 helped the trend even more.
Dallas continued to gain national attention. In 1960, Dallas was home to two professional football team: the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Texans. In 1962, the Texans were moved to Kansas City and renamed the Chiefs. By the 1970s the Cowboys success and popularity earned them the nickname "America's Team." In 1972, baseball came to Dallas with the Texas Rangers. The Mavericks brought basketball in 1980. Soccer came in 1984 with the Sidekicks. In 1993, professional hockey came with the Dallas Stars. It gave the city great pride when they won their first Stanley Cup only 6 years later in 1999.
November 22, 1963, brought a defining moment for Dallas and the nation. Near the spot where John Neely Bryan had first settled, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder. Two days later, he was killed by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner. Dallas, and the nation, grieved, and then moved on. But Dallas never forgot. In 1970, the Kennedy Memorial was erected, and in 1989, the Sixth Floor Museum opened.
Dallas soon began to look more toward its cultural heritage. In 1966, the Dallas County Heritage Society formed to save Millermore, the last antebellum mansion. Their efforts resulted in the creation of Old City Park. In 1973, Swiss Avenue was designated as Dallas's first historic district. The West End, an old warehouse district, opened in the '80s as a restaurant and entertainment area. Voters approved an arts district in 1979. The Dallas Museum of Art moved there from Fair Park in 1984, and the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center opened in 1989.
In 1983, voters approved a Dallas Area Rapid Transit service plan. Construction later began on a light rail system, which opened in 1996. The system has been successful, and DART continues to expand. The years of two major daily newspapers ended with the closing of the Dallas Times Herald on December 9, 1991. Dallas was one of the last major cities to have two newspapers.
Dallas has come a long way in the last 150 years. From a town of two cabins to a city of more than a million people, Dallas' focus has always been growth and progress. In the coming years, Dallas will certainly continue to make history.
Full credit to the wonderful people of www.dallashistory.org for this brief detail of so many years!
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 if 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, which was actually a larger community than Fort Worth; the courthouse, used from 1850-1856, was a log cabin. As Fort Worth gained in population, its citizens forced an election in 1856 to decide where the county seat should be. Tradition being to "reward" voters who made the effort to get to the polling place with a little something to quench their thirst, both towns stashed kegs of whisky near their voting sites. The night before the election, voters from Fort Worth stole Birdville's keg, with the result that on Election Day, Birdville had no refreshments to offer while Fort Worth had two kegs. Fort Worth won. Despite Birdville's protests and another election four years later, the county seat remained, and still is, in Fort Worth.
As the demand for beef in the East rose after the US 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 prosperity in the cattle business, not to mention an even rowdier reputation and a famous (or infamous!) 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. 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; representatives of the city began lobbying the railroad builders to route their lines through Fort Worth. As more track was added and the map began to resemble a giant tarantula, it was fittingly named the Tarantula Map and became the main plan used to attract the railroads to the city. Despite many difficulties and delays, the Texas and Pacific Railroad pulled into Fort Worth in 1876, and by 1900 nine railroads were operating through the town. The first true effort to establish an extended rail system in North America was a narrow gauge route from St. Louis, Missouri through Eagle Pass, Texas (on the Mexican border) and into the interior of Mexico; it was 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, operating over about 21 miles of the Cotton Belt Route and connecting the communities of Grapevine (the oldest settlement in Tarrant County), Colleyville, Smithfield, and the historic Stockyards of Fort Worth. It boasts a small fleet of vintage engines and coaches including "Puffy," an 1896 steam engine restored in the early 1990s at a cost of $1,000,000.
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! Armour and Swift, as well as other lesser-known 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. A month later the Exchange building opened, and the 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 the Spanish word for "roundup," "rodeo." When another rancher mispronounced it, calling it "ro dee oh," a new and enduring form of entertainment for participant and spectator alike was born. Fort Worth soon became the second largest livestock market in the country as well as one of its major beef suppliers. It retained that status until the 1960s when Swift and Armour closed their doors. The Stockyards didn't go away, however'the area underwent a complete renovation/restoration in the 1970s and remains one of North Texas most popular tourist destinations as a living tribute to a gone, but not forgotten, way of life.
Fort Worth's commercial role expanded yet again with the discovery of rich oil fields in West Texas in the early 20th century, for here is where the drilling supplies were manufactured, purchased, and sold even as the deals were being struck. Sinclair, Texaco, and Humble Oil and Refining Company (now Exxon) built regional offices, and new skyscrapers sprang up as a result of oil money. Meanwhile, a major flood in 1909 spurred the city to begin the ambitious projects of controlling the Trinity River and ensuring a safe water supply for its residents. These projects resulted in the formation of Lake Worth northwest of downtown. Later the Trinity River Floodway, built with federal funds, was completed in 1956.
The US Army established Camp Bowie as a training site during World War I (1914-1918); Amon G. Carter, Sr., who was one of the city's most prominent movers and shakers, was instrumental in three nearby airfields being converted into aviation training centers. He later co-founded American Airways, which is now American Airlines and is still based at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Early in World War II when the US War Department needed an aircraft plant to build bombers, Carter and his partner C. R. Smith sold Washington on the idea of putting it in Fort Worth. The plant broke ground in April 1941. After Pearl Harbor triggered a step-up in the work, an extension was added for the Air Force; and in April 1942, 364 days after groundbreaking, the first B-24 Liberator was delivered. Four months later, the Tarrant Field Airdrome was activated by the Air Force as a training base for B-24 pilots and later it became Carswell Air Force Base. In 1951, an aircraft manufacturer from New York, Larry Bell, brought his helicopter factory to Hurst. Bell Helicopter Textron is still a vital contributor to the area's economy, building Hueys and Cobras of "M*A*S*H*" and war movie fame and recently shifting to the Marines V-22 tilt-rotor Ospreys. In more recent years, the bomber plant has become a fighter plant, producing F-111s and F-16s.
With entrepreneurs like Amon Carter and John Peter Smith promoting the city and being involved in many diversified layers of business and services, wheeling and dealing became, and still is, a way of life in Fort Worth. The city is still one of the last large business centers before the still-vast stretches of prairie to the west.
The collapse of the oil industry in the early 1980s and the shrinking of the defense industry had a negative impact on Fort Worth's economy, but diversification and thriving tourism in all of North Texas have combined to give it a much-needed boost. The much-touted rivalry with Dallas has lessened as the entire Metroplex population works together to contribute to the area's success.
Credit for this document goes to http://worldfacts.us/.
Trivia
These are just interesting tidbits about the area, the cities of the Trinity, and other such things. These are actual facts, not rumors. Some may seem odd, but that's why we provide them… to help you get a feel for this strange place we've decided to use as our backdrop.
- Dallas was founded by John Neely Bryan. According to the Dallas Historical Society, no one is sure who the city is named after although there is a lot of speculation.
- Arlington, called Bird's Fort at the time, was the first portion of the area settled (Early 1841), Dallas and Fort Worth came later (1844 and 1849 respectively).
- The first Texan to receive a Medal of Honor was a freed slave, Milton M. Holland, born in Austin in 1844. A sergeant-major with the Union Army, Holland was nominated for the medal at the Battle of Chapin's Farm in Virginia on Sept. 29, 1864, after taking command of a unit that had lost all its officers.
- Texas was an independent republic for nearly 10 years prior to December 29, 1845, when it became the 28th state to enter the Union of the Unites States of America. (This is a point of pride among Texans, trust us.)
- The nickname, Lone Star State, comes from the single star that appeared on the flag of the Republic of Texas. The vertical blue bar is for loyalty. The white bar represents strength, and the red bar is for bravery. The State Flag is the same.
- The Oldest Dr Pepper Bottling Co in the World is at Dublin, Texas. Texans have enjoyed Dr Pepper since 1891.
- The statue of the Goddess of Liberty on top of the pink-granite Texas Capitol Building holds a Texas Star in her hand faces south, its back forever to the North. It was built in 1888, 20 years after the end of the Civil War.
- Fort Worth earned the name "Panther Town" as a nick-name after a news paper reported sightings of a Panther sleeping in the town square at noon in the years of the late 1850's. Panther Hall, Panther Park, the Fort Worth Cats minor league baseball team, and other local flavor are so named because of this.