Fort Worth was founded in the 1860s on the banks of the Trinity River as an outpost to protect the Texas west frontier against native Americans. Soon, the fort and the small town around became a resting point for cattle and drovers on their way to Oklahoma.
Dallas has a very nice monument with a large bronze longhorn cow herd commemorating the cattle drives on Pioneer Plaza.
With the arrival of the Texas Pacific Railway, Fort Worth became the major shipping point for livestock, which only ended in the 1960s. The Stockyards District held the railway station, the livestock exchange with a huge area of pens to keep the cattle, sheep and pigs, and meatpacking industry.
Nowadays, only a few live cattle remain for tourists. Every day, a small cattle drive is re-enacted down the main road.
Livestock auctions ceased in the 1960s, but the old exchange still has a function for online auctions via video/satellite for steers. When we entered, an online auction was going on with $ 2,58 per pound for freshly weaned young steer weighing about 535 pounds. Lots had varying cattle sizes. Still, a million livestock are auctioned off every year.
Up until the 1960s, Fort Worth had an "entertainment" district, a red-light area known as "Hell's Half Acre", with gambling houses, saloons and other even less savoury places, where drovers rested and spent their newly earned money from the drives.
Nowadays, this place has been converted into the amazing Water Gardens, three large pools in the middle of the concrete city, a meditation quiet pool, an aerating pool, and an active "loud" pool with water cascades.
Dallas has a very nice monument with a large bronze longhorn cow herd commemorating the cattle drives on Pioneer Plaza.
,
A bronze cowboy in the heat
With the arrival of the Texas Pacific Railway, Fort Worth became the major shipping point for livestock, which only ended in the 1960s. The Stockyards District held the railway station, the livestock exchange with a huge area of pens to keep the cattle, sheep and pigs, and meatpacking industry.
Nowadays, only a few live cattle remain for tourists. Every day, a small cattle drive is re-enacted down the main road.
Livestock auctions ceased in the 1960s, but the old exchange still has a function for online auctions via video/satellite for steers. When we entered, an online auction was going on with $ 2,58 per pound for freshly weaned young steer weighing about 535 pounds. Lots had varying cattle sizes. Still, a million livestock are auctioned off every year.
room for online auctions with videos of livestock to be sold
Up until the 1960s, Fort Worth had an "entertainment" district, a red-light area known as "Hell's Half Acre", with gambling houses, saloons and other even less savoury places, where drovers rested and spent their newly earned money from the drives.
Nowadays, this place has been converted into the amazing Water Gardens, three large pools in the middle of the concrete city, a meditation quiet pool, an aerating pool, and an active "loud" pool with water cascades.
Aerating Pool
Cypress stumps at the quiet pool
Active Pool
The White Elephant Saloon on Main Street:
Detail of a Wells Fargo Concord Coach from ~ 1860.
No comments:
Post a Comment