Fort Worth Stockyards & Downtown
From Cowtown to Tourist Town
On our Texas trip, the Fort Worth Stockyards were a must-see. This national historic district thrived from 1866 to 1890. During this era of cattle drives, Fort Worth, nicknamed Cowtown, was a crucial stopover along the Chisholm Trail for cattle to rest and cowboys to buy supplies.
Fort Worth’s importance grew as an important livestock shipping hub with the arrival of trains. To handle the increasing volume, the Union Stockyards were built. Due to several factors, including the gradual shift from trains to trucks and a reduced need for a centralized auction point, the Fort Worth Stockyards held its last auction in December 1992.
Today, the area is a National Historic District, preserving the city’s Western legacy with characteristic buildings like the Livestock Exchange Building. The district offers a glimpse of a bygone lifestyle with dust, cowboys, and cattle! For that reason, we were lined along the street with many other tourists to see the daily cattle drive reenactment. Witnessing these magnificent Texas Longhorns walk down the street was definitely the highlight of our visit.
From Historic Sites to Quirky Art
In Fort Worth, Texas, as we walked toward Sundance Square, we were welcomed by the downtown skyline. The beautiful Renaissance Revival-style Tarrant County Courthouse, built in 1905, is still operational as a courthouse. One of the city’s tourist attractions is the Chisholm Trail Mural, a trompe l’oeil depicting a cattle drive honoring Fort Worth’s past. We walked on the street part of the Chisholm Trail, on which over 360,000 cattle or “beeves” were driven from Texas to Kansas.
We also came across some quirky public art at Sundance Square. A huge Disco Cowboy hat with tiny mirrors, initially intended as a temporary art installation, added a playful “everything is big in Texas” touch. We sat down near Brier Patch for lunch. The sculpture, created by Dallas artist Hugh Hayden, made us reflect on its meaning. Are these elementary school-style desks with impenetrable branches protective or limiting? One might say that the artwork is thought-provoking … and necessary these days!
Date
Friday, May 3, 2024
Distance
1.89 miles
0.91 miles
Moving Time
0:56:08 hours
0:26:43 hours
WEATHER
72 - 79 °F, cloudy, light breeze