Fort Worth Stockyards
Encyclopedia
The Fort Worth Stockyards is a historic district
that is located in Fort Worth, Texas
, north of the central business district
. The 98 acres (39.7 ha) district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District in 1976. They are a former livestock market which operated under various owners from 1866.
center. Fort Worth Union Stockyards opened for business on January 19, 1890, covering 206 acres. On February 7, the Fort Worth Dressed Meat and Packing Company was founded. This facility was operated without profit until purchased by G. W. Simpson of Boston
. In an effort to produce revenue, they reached out to the Swift and Armour companies to establish packing houses
. By 1886 four stockyards had been built near the railroads. Boston capitalist Greenleif W. Simpson, with a half dozen Boston and Chicago associates, incorporated the Fort Worth Stock Yards Company on March 23, 1893, and purchased the Union Stock Yards and the Fort Worth Packing Company. The Stockyards experienced early success. By 1907, the Stockyards sold a million cattle per year. The stockyards was an organized place where cattle, sheep, and hogs could be bought, sold and slaughtered. Fort Worth remained an important part of the cattle
industry until the 1950s. Business suffered due to livestock auctions held closer to the where the livestock were originally produced.
The Fort Worth Stockyards now celebrates Fort Worth's long tradition as a part of the cattle industry and was listed on the National Register as a historical district in 1976. The listing included 46 contributing buildings and one other contributing structure.
The Stockyards consist of mainly entertainment and shopping venues that capitalize on the "Cowtown" image of Fort Worth. Home to the famous boot making company M.L. Leddy's which is located in the heart of the Stockyards. The city of Fort Worth is often referred to as "Where the West Begins." Many bars
and nightclub
s (including Billy Bob's Texas
) are located in the vicinity, and the area has a Western motif
. There is also an opry
and a rodeo
. The Fort Worth Stockyards are the last standing stockyards in the United States. Some volunteers still run the cattle drives through the stockyards, a practice developed in the late 19th century by the frontiersman Charles "Buffalo" Jones
, who herded buffalo
calves through the streets of Garden City, Kansas
.
On April 1, 2011, the Fort Worth Stockyards Stables were remodeled and reopened. They are located next door to the Hyatt hotel in an original Historic Stockyards building that was built in 1912. These stables offer full care boarding, overnight boarding, hourly boarding, horse rentals on the open trails of the Trinity River and carriage rides. Boarders can ride their horses all around the Historic Stockyards. On June 7, 2011, 2010 World Champion Trainer Tricia Aldridge was brought in to do English and Western lessons, training and Crash Course Horse Camps for children and adults. Tricia Aldridge is an advanced barrel racer and does barrel racing show coaching, lessons and training. The Fort Worth Stockyards Rodeo (Northside) is located right across the street from the new stables.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
that is located in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, north of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. The 98 acres (39.7 ha) district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District in 1976. They are a former livestock market which operated under various owners from 1866.
History
The arrival of railroads in 1876 made the area a very important livestockLivestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
center. Fort Worth Union Stockyards opened for business on January 19, 1890, covering 206 acres. On February 7, the Fort Worth Dressed Meat and Packing Company was founded. This facility was operated without profit until purchased by G. W. Simpson of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In an effort to produce revenue, they reached out to the Swift and Armour companies to establish packing houses
Packing house
A packing house is a facility where fruit is received and processed prior to distribution to market.Bulk fruit is delivered to the plant via trucks or wagons, where it is dumped into receiving bins and sorted for quality and size...
. By 1886 four stockyards had been built near the railroads. Boston capitalist Greenleif W. Simpson, with a half dozen Boston and Chicago associates, incorporated the Fort Worth Stock Yards Company on March 23, 1893, and purchased the Union Stock Yards and the Fort Worth Packing Company. The Stockyards experienced early success. By 1907, the Stockyards sold a million cattle per year. The stockyards was an organized place where cattle, sheep, and hogs could be bought, sold and slaughtered. Fort Worth remained an important part of the cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
industry until the 1950s. Business suffered due to livestock auctions held closer to the where the livestock were originally produced.
Today
The Stockyards consist of mainly entertainment and shopping venues that capitalize on the "Cowtown" image of Fort Worth. Home to the famous boot making company M.L. Leddy's which is located in the heart of the Stockyards. The city of Fort Worth is often referred to as "Where the West Begins." Many bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
and nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s (including Billy Bob's Texas
Billy Bob's
Billy Bob's Texas is a popular country & western nightclub in the Fort Worth Stockyards, Texas, United States. It promotes itself as "The World's Largest Honky Tonk" with 127,000 square feet . Billy Bob's opened April 1, 1981 to national attention with Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers as the...
) are located in the vicinity, and the area has a Western motif
Motif (art)
In art, a motif is an element of a pattern, an image or part of one, or a theme. A motif may be repeated in a design or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. A motif may be an element in the iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other...
. There is also an opry
Opry
An opry is generally an establishment that features live country music, the most famous example being the Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville, Tennessee, but it could be something as simple as the local honky tonk. The term is generally restricted to the southern United States.The Saturday night opry is a...
and a rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
. The Fort Worth Stockyards are the last standing stockyards in the United States. Some volunteers still run the cattle drives through the stockyards, a practice developed in the late 19th century by the frontiersman Charles "Buffalo" Jones
Charles "Buffalo" Jones
Charles Jesse Jones, known as Buffalo Jones , was an American frontiersman, farmer, rancher, hunter, and conservationist who cofounded Garden City, Kansas...
, who herded buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
calves through the streets of Garden City, Kansas
Garden City, Kansas
Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 26,658. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richardson Zoo, the largest zoological park in western Kansas.-History:In February 1878, James...
.
On April 1, 2011, the Fort Worth Stockyards Stables were remodeled and reopened. They are located next door to the Hyatt hotel in an original Historic Stockyards building that was built in 1912. These stables offer full care boarding, overnight boarding, hourly boarding, horse rentals on the open trails of the Trinity River and carriage rides. Boarders can ride their horses all around the Historic Stockyards. On June 7, 2011, 2010 World Champion Trainer Tricia Aldridge was brought in to do English and Western lessons, training and Crash Course Horse Camps for children and adults. Tricia Aldridge is an advanced barrel racer and does barrel racing show coaching, lessons and training. The Fort Worth Stockyards Rodeo (Northside) is located right across the street from the new stables.
See also
- List of Neighborhoods in Fort Worth, Texas
- Grapevine Vintage RailroadGrapevine Vintage RailroadThe Grapevine Vintage Railroad, is a heritage railroad in Fort Worth, Texas.The railroad operates passenger excursion trains using an 1896-era 4-6-0 steam locomotive and sometimes a diesel engine to pull its 1920s-era coaches. Passengers board in Grapevine and the train operates over a 21-mile...