Yep folks (I'm sounding and acting more like a cowboy everyday) we have spent the whole of today at the Fort Worth Stock Yards and fascinating it has been.....honest!
This site has become one of the most visited places in Texas for a good reason and although livestock and meat processing are no longer handled here in the flesh, weekly auctions of stock are still held albeit via the Internet. In fact did you know that the term stock market was actually born here in Fort Worth?
It evolved because of the millions of head of cattle that were driven from the South up the Chisholm Trail to the railheads around Chicago and was the perfect place for cowboys to rest the cattle and restock supplies. Between 1866 and 1890, the four million cattle trailed through Fort Worth got it the name of "Cowtown".
The major development here came when two meat packing companies, Armour and Swift, were persuaded to build and open processing plants and that proved to be the catalyst for phenomenal growth to follow. So exponential was the growth that a new city, Niles, grew up around the stock yards and became known as "the richest little city in the world".
We were lucky this morning to benefit from a walking tour guide called Ed who had a classic Texan drawl and a seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the stock yards. We finished our tour just as a bunch of cowboys were driving a herd of longhorns down the main street - if you ever come to Fort Worth remember to park your car on a side road. Those darn longhorns don't half make a mess of your paintwork!!
A big disappointment is that they hold a Rodeo in the Grand Coliseum on Main Street twice weekly and we have always wanted to see one of these. Unfortunately we leave Dallas and Fort Worth on Thursday and the rodeos are held on Friday and Saturday!! This building incidentally was completed in 88 days back in about 1906 by Quanah Parker who became the richest Comanche in North America. I could write a whole blog about his story which is absolutely fascinating and stems from him being the child of a kidnapped white woman and a Comanche chief.
It's funny that whenever I'm writing anything about Cowboys, Indians and the Wild West, it makes me think of my dad who was totally enthralled by the subject and I can understand why.
Anyway the stock yards here declined after the peak year of 1944 but happily somebody in the 1970s who appreciated their historic value resurrected them as a tourist attraction which today sees them attract three million visitors annually.
If y'all ever come to Texas, don't forget to pay them a visit.
Linda's suggestion by the way was Texas Bull.....S**t! She thought that was very funny but I thought she gets enough wine already and doesn't need anymore!
I look forward to giving the post a title tomorrow.
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