BRIEF HISTORY OF DALLAS, TEXAS
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- serve Dallas
- build in Irving
- construct in Arlington
- erect in Fort Worth
- & many more cities.
All of this history of Dallas on this website came from the Dallas Historical Society.
Dallas, North Carolina is a really small city near Charlotte with a population of only about 3,500 people.
In 1839, John Neely Bryan came to the three forks area of the Trinity River to survey a place to potentially construct a trading post that would serve settlers and Indians. This area would later be known as Dallas.
The Trinity River is 710-miles long and runs completely within the state of Texas. It begins in the extreme northern part of Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. Trinity's headwaters are separated from the Red River basin by high bluffs.
The survey location was at the easiest place to cross the Trinity River, and where the Preston Trail was planned. The roadway would make is much easier to get form North Texas to South Texas.
After completing the surveying, Bryan returned to Arkansas. In his absense, a treaty was signed that banned Indians from North Texas. John returned at the end of 1841, to discover the Indians, and half of his future clients, gone. He decided to construct the trading post in a more permanent community. Just over 20 miles northwest, there was a community called Bird's Fort. Bryan encouraged the people that lived in Bird's Fort to relocate and settle in his proposed town. John Beeman settled there and planted the first corn in April of 1842. Many more families soon moved there too.
Bryan was the "Jack of all Trades" to the townspeople. He was the postman, store owner, and his home was the courthouse. Bryan married Margaret Beeman in 1843 as the town continued its rapid growth. In 1845, the first election was held. The election was to decide about Texas' annexation to the United States. Of the 32 votes, 29 voted for annexation and 3 opposed. Dallas then became a part of the state of Texas.
Dallas County was organized in 1846 and became the temporary county seat. A small log cabin was used as the first official courthouse. In 1850, Dallas became the permanent county seat. The first cotton was planted, and became a major cash crop. The first newspaper was called the Cedar Snag, but it was eventually renamed the Dallas Herald.
In 1849, news of the Gold Rush in California spread like wild fire to the east. Many people passed through Dallas on their way to California. Bryan left to look for gold, but was unsuccessful and returned in 1850.
The first factory and brickyard were built. Both supplied most of the materials for the construction boom that lasted until the Civil War. Alexander Cockrell bought the rest of Bryan's land in 1852. Three years later Cockrell built a bridge over the Trinity. This provided easy transportation between Dallas and surrounding areas. Dallas was officially incorporated in 1856. Dallas continued to observe a steady pace of growth.
In 1860, Dallas' population was roughly 2,000. As with North Carolina, the railroad played an important part, as it was approaching from the south, and several stage lines were already passing through. 1860 quickly turned into a turbulent year as Dallas started to prepare for war. Public debates on secession took place. As with North Carolina cities and in many great cities history, a fire broke out in the square in July. It destroyed most of the buildings in the business district. Because a slave plot was suspected, several abolitionists were run out of town, three slaves were hung, and all other slaves were ordered to be whipped. By the beginning of 1861, most of the town had been rebuilt, and the town was growing so rapidly that there became a housing shortage.
In 1861, Dallas County voted three to one for secession. A state of war was declared in June. Since Texas and Dallas were so far from the forefront of the war, they gave money, materials, food, and supplies to the Southern cause. An ammunition factory was constructed. However, times became increasingly difficult, prices for basic household items increased significantly and the newspaper stopped printing for close to a year.
Reconstruction also brought its own set of challenges. Texan slaves were freed in June of 1865. Many African Americans relocated to Dallas after the war because the city remained opportunistic compared to other places.
Many Southerners came to the Dallas area to rebuild their lives after the war. They could no longer manage plantations, but the farm lands of northern Texas were filled with opportunity. Dallas continued to grow during the Reconstruction years, unlike many other towns.
With the arrival of the railroad trains, the population continued to soar, from 3,000 to 7,000 in only six months of 1872. New businesses and buildings were being started daily. Dallas also became a last stop city for people traveling farther west to get supplies. This significant growth came with various problems. Many farmers had problems getting fair prices for their cotton and shipping costs were high.
Outlaws were also a big part of Dallas history. Belle Starr began as a dancer and singer and then later sold stolen horses and harbored outlaws. Doc Holliday came to Dallas to regain his strength and health, became a dentist but quickly got involved with gambling. In 1875, he left Dallas after being found not-guilty of trading gunfire with another shopkeeper. Sam Bass robbed several trains in 1878 and was later killed in an ambush near Round Rock. Bonnie and Clyde became a part of the Dallas limelight in the 1930's.
The Trinity River had never quite lived up to what Dallas has intended. Navigation of the Trinity was a pipe dream. Four major floods occurred in 1844 and 1890, but none of them were as devastating as the flood in 1908. The river grew to 52.6 feet deep and more than one and a half miles wide. Only five people died, but more amazingly four thousand people became homeless, and property damages were estimated at $2.5 million, which in today's value is nearly $60 million! Dallas was also without power for three days and Oak Cliff could only be reached by boat.
If Dallas was missing one important thing, it was a major university. In 1911 a university was established in Dallas, after the city graciously offered $300,000 and 666.5 acres of land for the campus. Four years later, Southern Methodist University began to educating students.
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.
Dallas has certainally grown over the last 150 years. From two cabins to a city of roughly 1.3 million people, Dallas's has always adapted to growth and progress. Despite the current recession, Dallas will continue to be a great place to live and do business. This is exactly why we chose Dallas as the next ideal city to bring our fence company to. We believe that in this tough economy, there is nothing more important that being able to bring affordable fences to families that need to enclose their yard. A fence does not have to be expensive, a fence generally has a purpose and the purpose of our fence company coming to Dallas is.............