Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-04
FORT WORTH.
Some Interesting Facts About the City
and It's Past History.
The Charter Ordinances and Laws of the City
as Codifed by Recent Order
of the Council.

the new book of codifed ordinances as
the law of the city. The book is be-
tween $50 and $40 pages and is probably
the best book of codifed ordinances in
the state. Wilson Gregg performed the
work, and his report, which is appended
in part, has been adopted. The follow
ing is the Introductory.
Not lnfrequently the history Of a town
! or particular section remains for a
! lengthy period unwritten, or survives
but in tradition. Such may be said TO
! some extent of Fort Worth For it
| seems, outside of the fame through the
press and other wise, which her career
! has attracted and deserved, only oc-
| casiOnly printed "reminiscences, trade
| reviews, and commercial items
note her beginning and progress.
! This can be partly accounted for
in the latterly rapid growth, as in marked
| material development and the constant
influx of strangers, purely local events
are not bTooded over like in communities
that vegetate. The codifier, yielding to
| a generally expressed desire, has been at
pains to cOllate the material foI a brief
| outline in connected form of the history
of this city from its conception. And it
is believed that much of what is con-
tanned will meet the eye of many OF the
readers for the first time.
Whatever is easily accessible in the way
of publications of taxable values from
time to time, the chronicling of new en-
terprises, etc., is omitted. Also it is re-
GREETED that necessary condensation for
bids the mention of the public services of
many prominent and liberal minded cit
liens, and the narrative of numerous in
teresting facts. Establishment is
avoided, and what is set down may be
considered as reliable as it is possible at
this time to make it.
According to the best information, Mr.
G. P. Farmer was the first settler in this
immediate vicinity. On coming with one
Edmund s. Terril, he camped in the live
oak grove near the junction of the Texas
and Pacific and Fort Worth and Rio
Grande railways, southwest of the city,
in June, lS49. BreSt-M Major Arnold, in
charge of the second Dragons of United
States troops, few days previously had
established a frontier post in a valley
about one hundred and fifty Yards west
of the present Holloway place, and near
the race track and the old ceme-
terry. The post was one of
Gordon then recently designated to
extend from Red river enthusiastically to
the Rio Grande, as q protection against
Indians and bands of marauders from
Mexico. Maj. Arnold, on arrival,
named the post ''Fort Worth, - after
Gen. William j Worth, who had dis
tinguished himself in making the first
advance on the City of Mexico in Sep
TENDER, I847, and was then in command
of the district.
Shortly after coming, Mr.. Farmer
sought the army surgeon for attention to
the Illness of the man with him. On
that occasion, as sickness prevailed
among the soldiers where they then
were, he suggested the high bluffs Gin
the region Of the public square) as a
healthier place for the post The advisa-
bility of the change commended itself,
and as soon as the proper arrangements
could be made a removal was effected to
about the west side OF the square The
officers cabins were put just back of the
building now occupied by the implement
company, corner of Houston and Belknap
streets, the shelter for the soldiers under
the trees north of Haymaker' s bath
house, and the stables reaching out into
the square. All were enclosed by q rope
fence, as a kind of cattle guard, and
there was never any actual fort or stock
ade, as generally supposed. The post,
by reason Of its size and favorable local.
ton, became base of supplies for those
more distant. 3
The county was organized in the spring
of 1850, and named after Brig Gen. L.
H. Tarrant, who, in the spring of I84I q
commanded the brigade district, come
posed of Cass, Bowie, Red River, Lamar
and Fannin counties.
In November, 1853, the last detach-
ment of Dragons, under command of
Lieut.. Halliday, left the post. During
the four years of its occupancy, Mai.
Arnold had retained the principal COM
mand, being relieved by Maj Merrill in
1858, shortly before the abandonment.
Maj. Arnold met his death at the hands
of the surgeon of the post under peculiarly
distressing circumstances, and his re-
mains now rest in the old cemetery
With the exception of a few from the
friendly tribes, little or nothing was sub
sequently seen of the Indians The first
house built on the site of the town was
by Mr.. Farmer, near West Weatherford
street, and half of a mile from the
forks OF the river. Near the time the
soldiers left, the community around the
post averaged about one hundred and in
1861 the population was about three hun
dred and fifty. But hardly any more
than some struggling houses Qittle bet
ter than huts) existed up to nearly 1872,
when Col. Tom Scott and Mr.. J. W.
Forney encouraged the people to donate
$50 acres TO the Texas and Pacific rail-
road company From that period the
real growth of the town may be said to
have begun.
The first district court held in Tarrant
county was presided over by Ex-Governor
0. NJ. Roberts, exchanging with the first
district Judge, Martin, east of Birdville,
on the banks of Fossil creek in 1850. |
Birdville was elected the county seat in
August of that year, and began to be
used as such almost Immediately there |
after. In August Of 1885 the county seat |
was removed to Fort Worth, after a bit
ter contest, the records at once following |
the change [2O Tex, 16, Walker ct al. |
VS.. Tarrant Cuntyl. Senator John H. |
Reagan succeeded Judge Martin, the |
Hon. Nat NJ. Burford being the third dis |
trict judge.
Upon the evacuation of the post Col. /
NJ. 7. Johnson and Archie Robinson, |
the original owners of the surveys upon |
which it had been located, took posses
s;Or Of tho DrarDIcaS