History of Dallas, Texas
Encyclopedia
This article traces the history of Dallas
, Texas
(USA
).
Caddo
Native Americans inhabited the Dallas area before it was claimed, along with the rest of Texas
, as a part of the Spanish
Viceroyalty of New Spain in the 16th century. The area was also claimed by the French
, but in 1819 the Adams-Onís Treaty
officially placed Dallas well within Spanish territory by making the Red River
the northern boundary of New Spain.
One European who probably visited the Dallas area was Athanase de Mezieres in 1778. De Mezieres, a Frenchman in the service of the King of Spain probably crossed the West Fork of the Trinity River
near present-day Fort Worth, having followed the western edge of the Eastern Cross Timbers
from the Tawakoni Village on the Brazos River
near present Waco
. He then proceeded north to the Red River. He wrote:
De Mezieres' biographer, Bolton, was convinced de Mezieres was describing the Eastern Cross Timbers and the route would have him crossing the West Fork of the Trinity River between the present Fort Worth
and Arlington
.
Present-day Dallas remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when Mexico
declared independence from Spain, and the area became part of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas
. The Republic of Texas
broke off from Mexico in 1836 and remained an independent country for nearly 10 years.
, looking for a good trading post to serve Native Americans and settlers, first surveyed the Dallas area in 1839. Bryan, who shared Sam Houston
's insight into the wisdom of Native American customs, must have realized that Caddo
trails he came across intersected at one of the few natural fords
for hundreds of miles along the wide Trinity floodplain
. Bryan also knew that the planned Preston Trail was to run near the ford — the north-south route and the ford at Bryan's Bluff became more important when the United States annexed Texas
in 1845.
After Bryan surveyed the area, he returned home to Arkansas
. While there, a treaty was signed removing all Native Americans from Northern Texas. When he returned in November 1841, half of his customers, the Native Americans, were gone. He decided that instead of creating a trading post, he would create a permanent settlement, which he founded in November 1841. In 1844 J. P. Dumas surveyed and laid out a 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) section of blocks and streets near present downtown
. The name has uncertain origins, as there were a number of people named Dallas who could have been the inspiration for the name.
In 1855, a group of European artists and musicians, notably French, Belgians and Swiss, set up a utopia
n community west of Dallas called "La Reunion
". When that venture collapsed in 1857 many of the artists moved to Dallas, where they established the base of a culture which, a century and a half later, is reflected in creative neighborhoods like Deep Ellum
(east of downtown
), and lower Greenville Avenue.
On 2 February 1856, Dallas was granted a town charter during the Regular session of the Sixth
Texas Legislature
. Samuel Pryor was elected the first mayor
along with a constable
, a treasurer
-recorder
, and six aldermen. By 1860, the town's population reached 678, including 97 African Americans as well as Belgians
, French
, Germans
, and Swiss
. By that year, the railroad was approaching from the south, and several stage lines were already passing through the city.
In July 1860, a fire broke out in the square, destroying most of the buildings in the business district of Dallas. Many residents assumed that slaves
were behind it and two abolitionists were run out of town. Three African-American slaves were hung, and all other slaves in Dallas were ordered to be whipped. On the eve of the Civil War in 1861, Dallas County
voted 741-237 in favor of secession
. On 8 June of that year, a state of war was declared, and citizens were very supportive of the effort. The town was a long way from actual battle, and received no damage from the war.
The Reconstruction period brought many challenges for Dallas. On 19 June 1865 (Juneteenth
), Texan slaves were liberated. Many African Americans came to Dallas after the war because the city was still prosperous compared to many other Southern cities. Freedmen's town
s were scattered throughout Dallas and many whites became fearful — the Ku Klux Klan
first appeared in the city in 1868. By 1871, Dallas legally became a city.
Notable Civil War veterans include William W. Ross. The Dallas Morning News states that, “William W. and Andrew J. Ross were early land owners who came to Dallas in 1866. One was a Civil War veteran, but, both men were farmers and real estate developers.” Ross Avenue is named in honor of the two brothers and bisects the land they formerly owned. In 2009, a Nevada based clergy group proposed that Ross Avenue be renamed after the Indian
leader Mahatma Gandhi
.
The major north-south (Houston and Texas Central Railroad) and east-west (Texas and Pacific Railway
) Texas railroad routes intersected in Dallas in 1873, thus ensuring its future as a commercial center. The arrival of the trains also meant soaring populations — the population of Dallas shot from 3,000 in early 1872 to more than 7,000 in September of the same year. New buildings and new businesses appeared daily. Dallas was now the epicenter of the markets for raw materials like grains and cotton that was being shipped to the south and east. It was also the "last chance" for people traveling west to get supplies.
The Industrial Period saw Dallas grow from a center of farming and ranching into a major, self-sustaining industrial city. The industrial growth in Dallas formed partially out of problems hurting Dallas area farmers: After buying supplies on credit during the year, farmers owed merchants the majority of their crop. Costs to ship to the coast were very high, and the price of cotton was dropping.
By 1880, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
, under the leadership of Jay Gould
, reached Dallas. In 1888, the Dallas Zoo
opened making it the first zoological garden in the state. In 1890, Dallas annexed the city of East Dallas
, which was larger geographically than Dallas. The annexation made Dallas the most populous city in Texas. In 1893, following the national financial panic, numerous industries and five Dallas banks failed. Cotton
prices dipped below five cents a pound, and the lumber and flour markets had all but vanished, so many people began leaving the city. By 1898, the city began to recover and grow again. In 1894, Parkland Memorial Hospital
opened just west of Oak Lawn
. In 1903, Oak Cliff
, a city across the Trinity River, was annexed.
By the turn of the 20th century Dallas was the leading drug, book, jewelry, and wholesale liquor market in the Southwestern United States
. It also quickly became the center of trade in cotton
, grain
, and even buffalo
. It was the world's leading inland cotton market, and it still led the world in manufacture of saddlery and cotton gin
machinery. As it further entered the 20th century, Dallas transformed from an agricultural center to a center of banking, insurance
, fashion
retailing
and other businesses, including the founding of Neiman Marcus
and the now-defunct A. Harris and Sanger Brothers ready-to-wear stores.
In 1908, the Trinity River
reached a depth of 52.6 feet (16.03 m) and a width of 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Five people died, 4,000 were left homeless, and property damages were estimated at US$
2.5 million. After the flood, the city wanted to find a way to control the reckless Trinity and to build a bridge linking Oak Cliff
and Dallas. In 1911, George Kessler
, a city planner, created a plan for both the Trinity and the city. His plans were initially ignored but ultimately brought back, updated, in the 1920s and by the 1930s many of his plans had been realized.
An important neighborhood for the birth of the Mexican American communinty in Dallas began around 1910. Little Mexico
began as a Polish Jewish neighborhood at the turn of the 20th century, Mexicans began coming to the area after the defeat of President
Porfirio Diaz
and his government and the start of the Mexican Revolution
(1910–1920). Mexicans from all walks of life came to the Dallas area to take jobs in factories, agriculture
and the railroads. As the local population of mostly Jews
moved out, Mexicans replaced them and grew in numbers. It encompassed the area bordered by Maple Avenue, McKinney Avenue and the MKT (Missouri, Kansas, Texas) Railroad.
In 1911, Dallas became the location of the eleventh regional branch of the Federal Reserve Bank and millionaire Dr. William Worthington Samuell, purchased the first ambulance for the city of Dallas and later donated thousands to expand Parkland Hospital. Aviation became a major issue in the city in World War I
. Love Field was established as an aviation training ground, and Fair Park
was the home of Camp Dick, a training facility as well. The city purchased Love Field in 1927 to use as a municipal airport. and in 1915, Southern Methodist University
opened.
Despite the onset of the Great Depression
, business in construction was flourishing in 1930. That year, Columbus Marion "Dad" Joiner struck oil 100 miles (160.9 km) east of Dallas in Kilgore
, spawning the East Texas oil boom
. Dallas quickly became the financial center for the oil industry in Texas and Oklahoma
. Banks made loans to develop the oil fields, and Dallas became the financial center for all oil fields in the Texas Panhandle
, the Permian Basin, East Texas
, Gulf Coast
, and Oklahoma
. This put off most thoughts of depression until the middle of 1931, when falling prices and overproduction affected the city economy negatively. By then, more than 18,000 people in the city were unemployed. Before the New Deal
policy began, the city had a work-for-food program that helped many.
After a long campaign in the years leading up to 1936, the state of Texas
chose Dallas as the site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition
. More than fifty buildings were built for the Exposition in Fair Park
, and 10 million visitors came to see the US$
25 million spectacle (US$ in today's terms).
During World War II, Dallas served as a manufacturing center for the war effort. In 1942, the Ford Motor plant in Dallas converted to war-time production, producing only jeep
s and military trucks. In 1943 the city began war rationing, with 376,085 ration books distributed.
In 1958 a version of the integrated circuit
was invented in Dallas by Jack Kilby
of Texas Instruments
; this event punctuated the Dallas area's development as a center for high-technology manufacturing (though the technology Mr. Kilby developed was soon usurped by a competing technology simultaneously developed in the "Silicon Valley" in California by engineers who would go on to form Intel Corporation
). During the 1950s and 1960s, Dallas became the nation's third-largest technology center, with the growth of such companies as Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV Corporation) and Texas Instruments. In 1957, developers Trammell Crow
and John M. Stemmons
opened a Home Furnishings Mart, designed by Donald H. Speck, that grew into the Dallas Market Center
, the largest wholesale trade complex in the world. The same year, the Dallas Memorial Auditorium (now the Dallas Convention Center) opened near Canton and Akard Streets in what is now the Convention Center District
of downtown
. On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
on Elm Street while his motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza
in downtown Dallas. The building from which Lee Harvey Oswald
shot Kennedy, the Texas School Book Depository
, has been converted into a historical museum covering the former president's life and accomplishments.
In the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s, Dallas underwent the building boom which produced a distinctive contemporary profile for the downtown
area and a prominent skyline, influenced by nationally acclaimed architects. By the 1980s, when the oil industry mostly relocated to Houston
, Dallas was beginning to benefit from a burgeoning technology boom (driven by the growing computer and telecom industries), while continuing to be a center of banking and business. In 1983, voters in Dallas and area cities approved the creation of Dallas Area Rapid Transit
to replace the Dallas Transit System. Dallas annexed Audelia
in 1981, and Renner
in 1983. In 1984, the Dallas Museum of Art
moved from Fair Park
as one of the first buildings in downtown
's Arts District
. Also in 1984, the Republican National Convention
was held in Dallas. In 1985, at the peak of the real estate boom, the 72-story Bank of America Plaza
(then InterFirst Plaza) opened as the tallest building in Dallas. From the mid-to-late 1980s, many banks, especially in Dallas, collapsed during the Savings and Loan crisis
, nearly destroying the city's economy and scrapping plans for hundreds of structures.
, and the early 1980s recession
practically destroyed the city economically. In 1987, Annette Strauss
was inaugurated as the first female mayor of Dallas. In 1989, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
opened in the Arts District
of downtown
. Dallas celebrated a major landmark during this period, celebrating its 150th anniversary in 1991.
In the late 1990s, the booming telecom industry exploded in Dallas, especially in areas like Las Colinas
and the Telecom Corridor
. During this time, Dallas became known as Texas's Silicon Valley
, or the "Silicon Prairie." Another recession prompted by the dot-com bubble-burst and the 2001 terrorist attacks hurt several of the city's vital industries. By 2004, signs of an economic turnaround began to appear. In 2005, three towers began construction amid tens of residential conversions and smaller residential projects. By the year 2010, the North Central Texas Council of Governments expects 10,000 residents to live within the loop. Just north, Uptown
is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. At the beginning of 2006, nine highrise residential buildings or hotels were under construction in that area. Leading the way is the $
500M phase two of Victory Park
, a $3B+ project. At full build-out, it should contain more than 4,000 residences and 4M ft² of office and retail space.
The Arts District in downtown is also expected to become a major point of growth. As the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation implements construction on several new projects in its master plan for the area. When the new Winspear Opera House (Foster and Partners
) and Wyly Theatre (Office for Metropolitan Architecture - Rem Koolhaas
) join the existing Nasher Sculpture Center
(Renzo Piano
) and Meyerson Symphony Center (I.M. Pei and Partners), Dallas will be the only city in the world that has four buildings within one contiguous block that are all designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winners.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
).
Territorial Period (1500s-1838)
Caddo
The Caddo Nation is a confederacy of several Southeastern Native American tribes, who traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, northern Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. Today the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a cohesive tribe with its capital at Binger, Oklahoma...
Native Americans inhabited the Dallas area before it was claimed, along with the rest of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, as a part of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Viceroyalty of New Spain in the 16th century. The area was also claimed by the French
French colonial empire
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
, but in 1819 the Adams-Onís Treaty
Adams-Onís Treaty
The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty or the Purchase of Florida, was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that gave Florida to the U.S. and set out a boundary between the U.S. and New Spain . It settled a standing border dispute between the two...
officially placed Dallas well within Spanish territory by making the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
the northern boundary of New Spain.
One European who probably visited the Dallas area was Athanase de Mezieres in 1778. De Mezieres, a Frenchman in the service of the King of Spain probably crossed the West Fork of the Trinity River
Trinity River (Texas)
The Trinity River is a long river that flows entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It rises in extreme north Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. The headwaters are separated by the high bluffs on the south side of the Red River....
near present-day Fort Worth, having followed the western edge of the Eastern Cross Timbers
Cross Timbers
The term Cross Timbers is used to describe a strip of land in the United States that runs from southeastern Kansas across Central Oklahoma to Central Texas...
from the Tawakoni Village on the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
near present Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
. He then proceeded north to the Red River. He wrote:
De Mezieres' biographer, Bolton, was convinced de Mezieres was describing the Eastern Cross Timbers and the route would have him crossing the West Fork of the Trinity River between the present Fort Worth
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...
and Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
.
Present-day Dallas remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
declared independence from Spain, and the area became part of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.It had two capitals: first Saltillo, and then Monclova...
. The Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
broke off from Mexico in 1836 and remained an independent country for nearly 10 years.
Settlement (1839-1855)
John Neely BryanJohn Neely Bryan
John Neely Bryan was a Presbyterian farmer, lawyer, and tradesman in the United States and founder of the city of Dallas, Texas.- Early life :...
, looking for a good trading post to serve Native Americans and settlers, first surveyed the Dallas area in 1839. Bryan, who shared Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
's insight into the wisdom of Native American customs, must have realized that Caddo
Caddo
The Caddo Nation is a confederacy of several Southeastern Native American tribes, who traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, northern Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. Today the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a cohesive tribe with its capital at Binger, Oklahoma...
trails he came across intersected at one of the few natural fords
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
for hundreds of miles along the wide Trinity floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
. Bryan also knew that the planned Preston Trail was to run near the ford — the north-south route and the ford at Bryan's Bluff became more important when the United States annexed Texas
Texas Annexation
In 1845, United States of America annexed the Republic of Texas and admitted it to the Union as the 28th state. The U.S. thus inherited Texas's border dispute with Mexico; this quickly led to the Mexican-American War, during which the U.S. captured additional territory , extending the nation's...
in 1845.
After Bryan surveyed the area, he returned home to Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. While there, a treaty was signed removing all Native Americans from Northern Texas. When he returned in November 1841, half of his customers, the Native Americans, were gone. He decided that instead of creating a trading post, he would create a permanent settlement, which he founded in November 1841. In 1844 J. P. Dumas surveyed and laid out a 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) section of blocks and streets near present downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
. The name has uncertain origins, as there were a number of people named Dallas who could have been the inspiration for the name.
In 1855, a group of European artists and musicians, notably French, Belgians and Swiss, set up a utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n community west of Dallas called "La Reunion
La Reunion (Dallas)
La Réunion was a socialist utopian community formed in 1855 by French, Belgian, and Swiss colonists near the forks of the Trinity River in Texas, USA. The Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas is about three miles east of the colony site. The founders of the community were inspired by the utopian...
". When that venture collapsed in 1857 many of the artists moved to Dallas, where they established the base of a culture which, a century and a half later, is reflected in creative neighborhoods like Deep Ellum
Deep Ellum
Deep Ellum is an arts and entertainment district near downtown in east Dallas, Texas . It lies directly east of the elevated I-45/US 75 freeway and extends to Exposition Avenue, connected to downtown by, from north to south, Pacific, Elm, Main, Commerce, and Canton streets...
(east of downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
), and lower Greenville Avenue.
Early Existence (1856-1873)
On 2 February 1856, Dallas was granted a town charter during the Regular session of the Sixth
Sixth Texas Legislature
The Sixth Texas Legislature met from 5 November 1855 to 1 September 1856 in its regular session and one adjourned session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1855.-Sessions:...
Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
. Samuel Pryor was elected the first mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
along with a constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
, a treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
-recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
, and six aldermen. By 1860, the town's population reached 678, including 97 African Americans as well as Belgians
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. By that year, the railroad was approaching from the south, and several stage lines were already passing through the city.
In July 1860, a fire broke out in the square, destroying most of the buildings in the business district of Dallas. Many residents assumed that slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
were behind it and two abolitionists were run out of town. Three African-American slaves were hung, and all other slaves in Dallas were ordered to be whipped. On the eve of the Civil War in 1861, Dallas County
Dallas County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...
voted 741-237 in favor of secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
. On 8 June of that year, a state of war was declared, and citizens were very supportive of the effort. The town was a long way from actual battle, and received no damage from the war.
The Reconstruction period brought many challenges for Dallas. On 19 June 1865 (Juneteenth
Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865...
), Texan slaves were liberated. Many African Americans came to Dallas after the war because the city was still prosperous compared to many other Southern cities. Freedmen's town
Freedmen's town
A freedman's town, in the United States, refers to communities built by freedmen, former slaves who were emancipated during and after the American Civil War....
s were scattered throughout Dallas and many whites became fearful — the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
first appeared in the city in 1868. By 1871, Dallas legally became a city.
Notable Civil War veterans include William W. Ross. The Dallas Morning News states that, “William W. and Andrew J. Ross were early land owners who came to Dallas in 1866. One was a Civil War veteran, but, both men were farmers and real estate developers.” Ross Avenue is named in honor of the two brothers and bisects the land they formerly owned. In 2009, a Nevada based clergy group proposed that Ross Avenue be renamed after the Indian
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
leader Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
.
The major north-south (Houston and Texas Central Railroad) and east-west (Texas and Pacific Railway
Texas and Pacific Railway
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
) Texas railroad routes intersected in Dallas in 1873, thus ensuring its future as a commercial center. The arrival of the trains also meant soaring populations — the population of Dallas shot from 3,000 in early 1872 to more than 7,000 in September of the same year. New buildings and new businesses appeared daily. Dallas was now the epicenter of the markets for raw materials like grains and cotton that was being shipped to the south and east. It was also the "last chance" for people traveling west to get supplies.
Industrial Period (1874-1929)
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....
, under the leadership of Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
, reached Dallas. In 1888, the Dallas Zoo
Dallas Zoo
Dallas Zoo is a zoo located south of downtown Dallas, Texas in Marsalis Park. Established in 1888, it is the oldest and largest zoological park in Texas and is managed by the non-profit Dallas Zoological Society. The zoo is home to 1,800 animals representing 406 species...
opened making it the first zoological garden in the state. In 1890, Dallas annexed the city of East Dallas
Old East Dallas
Old East Dallas, formerly the city of East Dallas, Texas is a community consisting of several neighborhoods in east Dallas, Texas, . In 1890, the city of East Dallas, much larger geographically than Dallas, was annexed into Dallas, making Dallas the largest city in Texas...
, which was larger geographically than Dallas. The annexation made Dallas the most populous city in Texas. In 1893, following the national financial panic, numerous industries and five Dallas banks failed. Cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
prices dipped below five cents a pound, and the lumber and flour markets had all but vanished, so many people began leaving the city. By 1898, the city began to recover and grow again. In 1894, Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Memorial Hospital is a hospital located at 5201 Harry Hines Boulevard, just west of Oak Lawn in Dallas, Texas . It is the main hospital of the Dallas County Hospital District and serves as Dallas County's public hospital.- History :The original hospital opened in 1894 in a wooden...
opened just west of Oak Lawn
Oak Lawn, Dallas
Oak Lawn is a neighborhood in Dallas, Texas , defined in Dallas City Ordinance 21859 as . The unofficial boundaries are Turtle Creek Boulevard, Central Expressway, the City of Highland Park, Inwood Road, and Harry Hines Boulevard. It is over in area...
. In 1903, Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff is a community in Dallas, Texas, United States that was formerly a separate town located in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1903...
, a city across the Trinity River, was annexed.
By the turn of the 20th century Dallas was the leading drug, book, jewelry, and wholesale liquor market in the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
. It also quickly became the center of trade in cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, and even buffalo
African Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
. It was the world's leading inland cotton market, and it still led the world in manufacture of saddlery and cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
machinery. As it further entered the 20th century, Dallas transformed from an agricultural center to a center of banking, insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
, fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
retailing
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
and other businesses, including the founding of Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
and the now-defunct A. Harris and Sanger Brothers ready-to-wear stores.
Trinity River (Texas)
The Trinity River is a long river that flows entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It rises in extreme north Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. The headwaters are separated by the high bluffs on the south side of the Red River....
reached a depth of 52.6 feet (16.03 m) and a width of 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Five people died, 4,000 were left homeless, and property damages were estimated at US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2.5 million. After the flood, the city wanted to find a way to control the reckless Trinity and to build a bridge linking Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff
Oak Cliff is a community in Dallas, Texas, United States that was formerly a separate town located in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1903...
and Dallas. In 1911, George Kessler
George Kessler
George Edward Kessler was a German American pioneer city planner and landscape architect.Over the course of his forty-one year career, George E. Kessler completed over 200 projects and prepared plans for 26 communities, 26 park and boulevard systems, 49 parks, 46 estates & residents, and 26 schools...
, a city planner, created a plan for both the Trinity and the city. His plans were initially ignored but ultimately brought back, updated, in the 1920s and by the 1930s many of his plans had been realized.
An important neighborhood for the birth of the Mexican American communinty in Dallas began around 1910. Little Mexico
Little Mexico
Little Mexico is a former neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, encompassing the area bordered by Maple Avenue, McKinney Avenue and the MKT Railroad. Formerly a Polish Jewish neighborhood, it grew into Little Mexico starting from the 1910s until the 1980s...
began as a Polish Jewish neighborhood at the turn of the 20th century, Mexicans began coming to the area after the defeat of President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Porfirio Diaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
and his government and the start of the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
(1910–1920). Mexicans from all walks of life came to the Dallas area to take jobs in factories, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and the railroads. As the local population of mostly Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
moved out, Mexicans replaced them and grew in numbers. It encompassed the area bordered by Maple Avenue, McKinney Avenue and the MKT (Missouri, Kansas, Texas) Railroad.
In 1911, Dallas became the location of the eleventh regional branch of the Federal Reserve Bank and millionaire Dr. William Worthington Samuell, purchased the first ambulance for the city of Dallas and later donated thousands to expand Parkland Hospital. Aviation became a major issue in the city in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Love Field was established as an aviation training ground, and Fair Park
Fair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
was the home of Camp Dick, a training facility as well. The city purchased Love Field in 1927 to use as a municipal airport. and in 1915, Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
opened.
Oil Period (1930-1945)
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, business in construction was flourishing in 1930. That year, Columbus Marion "Dad" Joiner struck oil 100 miles (160.9 km) east of Dallas in Kilgore
Kilgore, Texas
Kilgore is a city in Gregg and Rusk Counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the home of Kilgore College, and was also the childhood home of famous classical pianist Van Cliburn...
, spawning the East Texas oil boom
Texas Oil Boom
The Texas Oil Boom, sometimes called the Gusher Age, was a period of dramatic change and economic growth in U.S. state of Texas during the early 20th century that began with the discovery of a large petroleum reserve near Beaumont, Texas...
. Dallas quickly became the financial center for the oil industry in Texas and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Banks made loans to develop the oil fields, and Dallas became the financial center for all oil fields in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, the Permian Basin, East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
, Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
, and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. This put off most thoughts of depression until the middle of 1931, when falling prices and overproduction affected the city economy negatively. By then, more than 18,000 people in the city were unemployed. Before the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
policy began, the city had a work-for-food program that helped many.
After a long campaign in the years leading up to 1936, the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
chose Dallas as the site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition
Texas Centennial Exposition
The Texas Centennial Exposition was a World's Fair held at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836. More than 50 buildings, for which "George Dahl was director general of a group of architects who designed the buildings ", were...
. More than fifty buildings were built for the Exposition in Fair Park
Fair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
, and 10 million visitors came to see the US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
25 million spectacle (US$ in today's terms).
During World War II, Dallas served as a manufacturing center for the war effort. In 1942, the Ford Motor plant in Dallas converted to war-time production, producing only jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
s and military trucks. In 1943 the city began war rationing, with 376,085 ration books distributed.
Mid Century (1946-1974)
In 1958 a version of the integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
was invented in Dallas by Jack Kilby
Jack Kilby
Jack St. Clair Kilby was an American physicist who took part in the invention of the integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments in 1958. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2000. He is credited with the invention of the integrated circuit or microchip...
of Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
; this event punctuated the Dallas area's development as a center for high-technology manufacturing (though the technology Mr. Kilby developed was soon usurped by a competing technology simultaneously developed in the "Silicon Valley" in California by engineers who would go on to form Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
). During the 1950s and 1960s, Dallas became the nation's third-largest technology center, with the growth of such companies as Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV Corporation) and Texas Instruments. In 1957, developers Trammell Crow
Trammell Crow
F. Trammell Crow was an American real estate developer. Crow is credited for creating several famous real estate projects, including Dallas Market Center, Peachtree Center , and San Francisco's Embarcadero Center.-Biography:Crow was born in Dallas, Texas...
and John M. Stemmons
John M. Stemmons
John Millard Stemmons was a real estate developer and civic leader in Dallas, Texas. He is best known for his efforts to develop the former flood plain of the Trinity River and his lucrative donation of land for the Stemmons Freeway that was named for his father, Leslie Stemmons.Stemmons attended...
opened a Home Furnishings Mart, designed by Donald H. Speck, that grew into the Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center, located along Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, Texas , sits on of land and spans more than . Dallas Market Center is the international home of the lighting industry, a leader in home décor and the national home of the floral and Christmas industries.- The campus :The...
, the largest wholesale trade complex in the world. The same year, the Dallas Memorial Auditorium (now the Dallas Convention Center) opened near Canton and Akard Streets in what is now the Convention Center District
Convention Center District, Dallas
The Convention Center District is an area in southern downtown Dallas, Texas . It lies south of the Government District, north of the Cedars, west of the Farmers Market District, and east of the Reunion District.- Highways :* - Interstate 30...
of downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
. On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
on Elm Street while his motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
in downtown Dallas. The building from which Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
shot Kennedy, the Texas School Book Depository
Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
, has been converted into a historical museum covering the former president's life and accomplishments.
Real Estate Boom (1975-1985)
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
area and a prominent skyline, influenced by nationally acclaimed architects. By the 1980s, when the oil industry mostly relocated to Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Dallas was beginning to benefit from a burgeoning technology boom (driven by the growing computer and telecom industries), while continuing to be a center of banking and business. In 1983, voters in Dallas and area cities approved the creation of Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...
to replace the Dallas Transit System. Dallas annexed Audelia
Audelia, Dallas, Texas
Audelia is an area in Dallas, Texas, United States that formerly was a distinct unincorporated community in Dallas County. The Audelia site is located three miles south of what is now Richardson.By 1981 Audelia was within Dallas.-External links:...
in 1981, and Renner
Renner, Dallas, Texas
Renner is a section of Dallas, Texas within southwestern Collin County that was once a distinct rural community and housed the center of a nonprofit agricultural research organization....
in 1983. In 1984, the Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art is a major art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, USA, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In 1984, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Arts District, Dallas, Texas...
moved from Fair Park
Fair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
as one of the first buildings in downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
's Arts District
Arts District, Dallas
The Arts District is a performing and visual arts district in downtown Dallas Texas .It is south of State Thomas, southeast of Uptown, north of the City Center District, west of Bryan Place and east of the West End Historic District. It is bounded by St...
. Also in 1984, the Republican National Convention
1984 Republican National Convention
The 1984 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States convened on August 20 to August 23, 1984, at Reunion Arena in downtown Dallas, Texas. The convention nominated the incumbent Ronald Reagan of California for President of the United States and incumbent George H. W...
was held in Dallas. In 1985, at the peak of the real estate boom, the 72-story Bank of America Plaza
Bank of America Plaza (Dallas)
Bank of America Plaza is a 72-story late-modernist skyscraper located in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas. Standing at a structural height of , it is the tallest skyscraper in the city of Dallas. It is also the 3rd tallest in Texas and the 22nd tallest in the United States, while...
(then InterFirst Plaza) opened as the tallest building in Dallas. From the mid-to-late 1980s, many banks, especially in Dallas, collapsed during the Savings and Loan crisis
Savings and Loan crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of about 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States...
, nearly destroying the city's economy and scrapping plans for hundreds of structures.
Recession (1986-1995)
From the mid-1980s to 2005, not a single highrise structure was built within the downtown freeway loop. Over-speculating, over-building, the Savings and Loan crisisSavings and Loan crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of about 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States...
, and the early 1980s recession
Early 1980s recession
The early 1980s recession describes the severe global economic recession affecting much of the developed world in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The United States and Japan exited recession relatively early, but high unemployment would continue to affect other OECD nations through at least 1985...
practically destroyed the city economically. In 1987, Annette Strauss
Annette Strauss
Annette Strauss was a philanthropist and a former mayor of Dallas. The Annette Strauss Artist Square in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas is named in honor of her...
was inaugurated as the first female mayor of Dallas. In 1989, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center is a concert hall located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas . Ranked one of the world's greatest orchestra halls, it was designed by architect I.M. Pei and acoustician Russell Johnson's Artec Consultants, Inc...
opened in the Arts District
Arts District, Dallas
The Arts District is a performing and visual arts district in downtown Dallas Texas .It is south of State Thomas, southeast of Uptown, north of the City Center District, west of Bryan Place and east of the West End Historic District. It is bounded by St...
of downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
. Dallas celebrated a major landmark during this period, celebrating its 150th anniversary in 1991.
Current Period (1996-present)
Las Colinas
Las Colinas is an upscale, developed area in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas.Due to its central location between Dallas and Fort Worth and its proximity to DFW Airport, Las Colinas has been a viable place in the Metroplex for corporate and business relocation.As a planned community, it has many...
and the Telecom Corridor
Telecom Corridor
The Telecom Corridor is a technology business center in Richardson, Texas , a northern suburb of Dallas, which contains over 25 million square feet of office space and accounts for over 82,600 jobs. The Corridor is a strip about 6.5 miles long along U.S...
. During this time, Dallas became known as Texas's Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
, or the "Silicon Prairie." Another recession prompted by the dot-com bubble-burst and the 2001 terrorist attacks hurt several of the city's vital industries. By 2004, signs of an economic turnaround began to appear. In 2005, three towers began construction amid tens of residential conversions and smaller residential projects. By the year 2010, the North Central Texas Council of Governments expects 10,000 residents to live within the loop. Just north, Uptown
Uptown Dallas
Uptown is a PID and neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. Uptown is adjacent-to and north-of downtown Dallas, and is bordered by US 75 on the east, N Haskell Avenue on the northeast, Katy Trail on the northwest, Bookhout Street and Cedar Springs Road on the west, N Akard Street on the southwest and Spur...
is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. At the beginning of 2006, nine highrise residential buildings or hotels were under construction in that area. Leading the way is the $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
500M phase two of Victory Park
Victory Park
Victory Park is a master planned development northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas and north of Spur 366 . It is along Interstate 35E, part of the Stemmons Corridor and Uptown....
, a $3B+ project. At full build-out, it should contain more than 4,000 residences and 4M ft² of office and retail space.
The Arts District in downtown is also expected to become a major point of growth. As the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation implements construction on several new projects in its master plan for the area. When the new Winspear Opera House (Foster and Partners
Foster and Partners
Foster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....
) and Wyly Theatre (Office for Metropolitan Architecture - Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas
Remment Lucas Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and "Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design" at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, USA. Koolhaas studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam, at the Architectural...
) join the existing Nasher Sculpture Center
Nasher Sculpture Center
Opened in 2003, the Nasher Sculpture Center is a museum in Dallas, Texas that houses a collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. It is located on a site adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the heart of the Dallas Arts District...
(Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize...
) and Meyerson Symphony Center (I.M. Pei and Partners), Dallas will be the only city in the world that has four buildings within one contiguous block that are all designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winners.
See also
- Dallas Historical SocietyDallas Historical SocietyThe Dallas Historical Society is an organization dedicated to the history of Dallas, Texas . It was organized on March 31, 1922, by citizens who wished to encourage historical inquiry. In 1938, the Society assumed the management of the Hall of State at Fair Park at the request of the City of Dallas...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, TexasNational Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, TexasList of Registered Historic Places in Dallas County, TexasThis is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Dallas County, Texas...
- List of Dallas Landmarks
Guides and popular history
- Acheson, Sam Hanna. Dallas Yesterday, (1977)
- Buckner, Sharry. City Smart: Dallas/Ft. Worth (2000) excerpt and text search
- Calvin, Peter A. Dallas, Texas: A Photographic Portrait (2007) excerpt and text search
- Fitzgerald, Ken. Dallas Then and Now (2001), 144pp; excerpt and text search
- Hazel, Michael V. Dallas: A History of "Big D." (1997). 73 pp.
- Hill, Patricia Evridge. Dallas: The Making of a Modern City. (1996). 240 pp. the standard scholarly history
- McDonald, . William L. Dallas Rediscovered: A Photographic Chronicle of Urban Expansion, 1870-1925 (1978).
- Payne, Darwin. Dallas: An Illustrated History (1982).
- Rafferty, Robert R. Lone Star Guide to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, (2nd ed. 2003)
- Rogers, John William. The Lusty Texans of Dallas (3rd ed. 1965)
- WPA Writers' Program. The WPA Dallas Guide and History, ed. Maxine Holmes and Gerald D. Saxon (1939; 1992).
Specialized studies
- Acheson, Sam. 35,000 Days in Texas (1938), a history of the Dallas Morning News and its conservative political and economic positions
- Behnken, Brian D. "The 'Dallas Way': Protest, Response, and the Civil Rights Experience in Big D and Beyond." Southwestern Historical Quarterly 2007 111(1): 1-29. Issn: 0038-478x
- Biderman, Rose G. "The Sanger Brothers and Their Role in Texas History." Western States Jewish History 1996 28(2): 149-158. Issn: 0749-5471
- Chipman, Donald, Randolph Campbell, and Robert Calvert. The Dallas Cowboys and the National Football League (1970), stress on business side of the field
- Cristol, Gerry. A Light in the Prairie: Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, 1872-1997. (1998). 312 pp.
- Decker, Stefanie. "Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Juanita Craft Versus the Dallas Elite." East Texas Historical Journal 2001 39(1): 33-42. Issn: 0424-1444
- Enstam, Elizabeth York. "The Dallas Equal Suffrage Association, Political Style, and Popular Culture: Grassroots Strategies of the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1913-1919." Journal of Southern History 2002 68(4): 817-848. Issn: 0022-4642 online edition
- Enstam, Elizabeth York. Women and the Creation of Urban Life: Dallas, Texas, 1843-1920. (1998). 284 pp. online edition
- Fairbanks, Robert B. "Rethinking Urban Problems: Planning, Zoning, and City Government in Dallas, 1900-1930." Journal of Urban History 1999 25(6): 809-837. Issn: 0096-1442 Fulltext: Ebsco
- Fairbanks, Robert B. For the City as a Whole: Planning, Politics, and the Public Interest in Dallas, Texas, 1900-1965. (1998). 318 pp.
- Gower, Patricia E. "The Price of Exclusion: Dallas Municipal Policy and its Impact on African Americans." East Texas Historical Journal 2001 39(1): 43-54. Issn: 0424-1444
- Gower, Patricia Ellen. "Dallas: Experiments in Progressivism, 1898-1919." PhD dissertation Texas A. & M. U. 1996. 228 pp. DAI 1997 58(1): 263-A. DA9718350 Fulltext: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
- Graff, Harvey J. The Dallas Myth: The Making and Unmaking of an American City (2008) excerpt and text search, advanced study by leading scholar
- Hazel, Michael V., ed. Dallas Reconsidered: Essays in Local History (2000), 325pp
- Hazel, Michael V. The Dallas Public Library: Celebrating a Century of Service, 1901-2001. (2001). 252 pp.
- Hill, Patricia Evridge. Dallas: The Making of a Modern City. (1996). 240 pp. the standard scholarly history
- Hill-Aiello, Thomas A. "Dallas, Cotton and the Transatlantic Economy, 1885-1956." PhD dissertation U. of Texas, Arlington 2006. 326 pp. DAI 2007 67(9): 3555-A. DA3229563 Fulltext: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
- Linden, Glenn M. Desegregating Schools in Dallas. (1995). 243 pp.
- Lowe, Theodore M., “Racial Politics in Dallas in the Twentieth Century,” East Texas Historical Journal, 46 (no. 2, 2008), 27–41.* McElhaney, Jacquelyn Masur. Pauline Periwinkle and Progressive Reform in Dallas. (1998). 201 pp. online edition
- Morgan, Ruth P. Governance by Decree: The Impact of the Voting Rights Act in Dallas. University Press of Kansas, 2004. 326 pp.
- Ofman, May Walters. "The Practice of Social Welfare: A Case Study in Dallas, Texas, 1890-1929." PhD dissertation U. of Michigan 1999. 456 pp. DAI 2000 60(7): 2650-A. DA9938505 Fulltext: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
- Payne, Darwin. As Old as Dallas Itself: A History of Lawyers in Dallas, the Dallas Bar Associations, and the City They Helped Build. (1999). 325 pp.
- Phillips, Michael. White Metropolis: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion in Dallas, 1841-2001. (2006). 300 pp.
- Phillips, Michael. White Violence, Hegemony, and Slave Rebellion in Dallas, Texas, Before the Civil War. East Texas Historical Journal 1999 37(2): 25-35. Issn: 0424-1444
- Prior, Marsha, and Robert V. Kemper. "From Freedman's Town to Uptown: Community Transformation and Gentrification in Dallas, Texas," Urban Anthropology and Studies of Cultural Systems and World Economic Development, Vol. 34, 2005 online edition
- Tatman, Arthur T. "La Camara, 1939: a 'Mexican; Chamber of Commerce Forms in Dallas. Journal of the West 2006 45(4): 36-47. Issn: 0022-5169 online at ABC-CLIO
- Thometz, Carol Estes. The Decision-Makers: The Power Structure of Dallas (1963) online edition
Online resources
External links
- Dallas History from the Dallas Historical SocietyDallas Historical SocietyThe Dallas Historical Society is an organization dedicated to the history of Dallas, Texas . It was organized on March 31, 1922, by citizens who wished to encourage historical inquiry. In 1938, the Society assumed the management of the Hall of State at Fair Park at the request of the City of Dallas...
- Dallas Police Department, published 1910, hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Dallas, Texas, published 1910, hosted by the Portal to Texas History