Fort Worth Cattle Drive Celebrates 20 years
Fort Worth Herd celebrated 20th anniversary with 20 longhorns drive Friday, May 10, 2019, along East Exchange Avenue in the Stockyards. (more…)
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Legendary Cowboy Boot Maker Justin Boots
Fort Worth, Texas, is home to the legendary cowboy boot maker Justin Boots. H. J. "Daddy Joe" Justin (1859 - 1918) was one of the best known early cowboy boot makers. In 1879, Daddy Joe moved from Lafayette, Indiana, where he had been a boot repairman and started his company in Spanish Fort, Texas. He would measure the cowboys' feet for custom boots as they drove their cattle north and would have the boots ready for them on their return trip after they had sold the cattle and had the money to pay for the boots. Justin was one of the first companies to use decorative stitching to stiffen the leather, prevent it from folding around the ankles. In 1887, when the railroad line was built through Nocona, Texas, Daddy Joe moved the company there because it was easier to ship boots from a town on the railroad line. In 1925, the company moved to Fort Worth.
Bass Performance Hall is the Anchor of the Arts in Fort Worth, Texas
Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall is the anchor of the arts in Fort Worth, Texas. The renowned pianist and Fort Worth resident Van Cliburn urged the Bass' to build a performance hall for the arts. The hall was built in 1998 and the two 48-foot-tall angels were carved from Texas limestone by Marton Varo. The hall, which seats 2,042, is home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Cliburn Concerts. These organizations produce work that is worthy of the magnificent hall that they call home.
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The Fort Worth Zoo
When the the Fort Worth Zoo opened in 1909 it had one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits. The Zoo, which is the oldest zoo in Texas, now has almost 7,000 animals.
From 1909 to 1991, the Zoo was owned by the city and collected money from citizens to purchase new animals. By 1991 the Zoo had fallen on hard times. The Fort Worth Zoological Association, which had been founded in 1939 to help raise money for the Zoo, took over management of the Zoo. Since 1991, the Association has raised more than $20 million for improvements and new exhibits.
There was a grand re-opening in 1992. During 1992, Zoo attendance increased by nearly 100 percent to 1 million and has stayed at that level ever since. It is a jewel in our community.
Tarrant County is Named for Brigadier General Edward H. Tarrant
Tarrant County is named for Brigadier General Edward H. Tarrant, who made a name for himself defending the Republic of Texas and the State of Texas from hostile Indians. He was born in South Carolina in 1799.
He first saw action as a young man in the War of 1812, including the Battle of New Orleans. After the war, he moved to Tennessee and was elected a colonel of the Tennessee state militia. By the early 1830s, he had he moved to Texas and established a ranch in Red River County. He was elected to represent Red River County in the House of Representatives of the Second Texan Congress, but resigned after deciding he could better serve the Republic by fighting Indians.
He practiced law, farmed, and led a northeast Texas militia unit called the Fourth Brigade. His Indian-fighting career culminated in the battle of Village Creek in May 1841. When he died in 1858, he was one o…