Fort Worth, Texas
J.J. Sissen
Where the West Begins...
"Fort Worth -- the most typically Texan of all Texas cities -- began as a tiny outpost on a lonely frontier. Today, this metropolitan area of more than 600,000 people blends its cattle and oil heritage seamlessly with an ever-growing, diverse array of new businesses and industries. Fort Worth was established through the efforts, the courage and the sacrifices of countless men and women; and the story, even in barest outline, is an American saga." - Fortworthtexas.gov
General William Jenkins Worth
In January 1849, U.S. Army General William Jenkins Worth, a veteran of the Mexican-American War, proposed building ten forts to mark where the west Texas frontier began from Eagle Pass to the confluence of the West Fork and Clear Fork of the Trinity River. Worth died on May 7, 1849 from cholera. Major Ripley Arnold was ordered to find a new fort site near the confluence of the West and Clear Forks. On June 6, 1849, Arnold established a post on the banks of the Trinity and named it Camp Worth in honor of the late General Worth. The US War Department officially granted the name "Fort Worth" to the post on November 14, 1849.
Hell's Half Acre
Great herds of Longhorns were driven from Texas to the railheads in Kansas; and Fort Worth was on the main route -- the Chisholm Trail. Lowing herds camped near the town, and cowboys galloped into Fort Worth, firing their pistols into the air and even riding their horses into the saloons. The red-light district that sprang up, one of the most infamous and the basis for many visions of the Wild West, came to be known as "Hell's Half Acre."
Cowtown USA
More than 150 years of history have shaped Cowtown. Ranked the nation's fastest growing city with more than 500,000 population -- the 18th largest city in the country -- and one of America's Most Livable Communities of the decade, Fort Worth has endured economic changes and retained its Western heritage as it continues to prosper.