History of Dallas

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This article is part of a series on the
City of Dallas
Recession
 (1986–1995)
Modern period (1996–)

This article traces the history of Dallas, Texas, (United States).

Territorial period (1500s–1838)

Main article: History of Dallas (through 1838)

The

Adams-Onís Treaty officially placed Dallas well within Spanish territory by making the Red River the northern boundary of New Spain.[1]

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.[1] He wrote:

It is worthy to note that from the Brazos River on which the Tuacanas are established, and until one reaches the river which bathes the village of the Taovayzes (Red River), one sees on the right a forest that the natives appropriately call the Grand Forest. ...it is very dense, but not very wide. It seems to be there as a guide to even the most inexperienced, and to give refuge in this dangerous region to those who, few in number and lacking in courage, wish to go from one village to another. — De Mezieres[1]

Bolton argues that 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.[1]

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.[2]

Settlement (1839–1855)

Main article: History of Dallas (1839–1855)

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 were gone. He decided that, rather than 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 origin of the name is uncertain. The official historical marker states it was named after Vice President George M. Dallas of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, this is disputed. Other potential theories for the origin include his brother, Commodore Alexander James Dallas, as well as brothers Walter R. Dallas or James R. Dallas.[4][5]

Early years (1856–1873)

Map of central Dallas c. 1871
Main article: History of Dallas (1856–1873)

On 2 February 1856, Dallas was granted a town charter during the Regular session of the

stage lines were already passing through the city.[3]

In July 1860, a fire broke out in the square, destroying most of the buildings in the business district of Dallas. Out of fear, many white residents assumed that slaves were behind it, and two abolitionists were run out of town. They lynched three African-American slaves, and officials ordered all other slaves in Dallas to be whipped, as part of event that is known as the "Texas Troubles".[6][7] 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 any battles, and suffered no damage from the war.

The

Reconstruction period brought many challenges for Dallas and some benefits for the state. On 19 June 1865 (Juneteenth), Texan slaves were emancipated, as announcement of the end of the war was delayed. Many African Americans migrated to Dallas after the war for work, because the city was thriving compared to other Southern cities. They also wanted to leave rural areas to escape the supervision of whites and establish their own communities. Freedmen's towns were scattered throughout Dallas. In attempts to maintain white supremacy, white insurgent veterans established a Ku Klux Klan chapter in 1868. By 1871, Dallas legally became a city. In 1869 the Reconstruction legislature established a funding mechanism to support public education for the first time, and authorized school districts to be set up across the state.[8]

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.

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.[6] 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 the epicenter of the markets for raw materials and commodity crops, such as grains and cotton, which were shipped to the South and East. It was also the "last chance" stop for supplies for people traveling west

Industrial period (1874–1929)

Main article: History of Dallas (1874–1929)
Dallas in 1905

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.

An advertisement for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad in an 1881 Dallas city directory

By 1880, the

Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, under the leadership of Jay Gould, reached Dallas.[9] In 1885, the Main Street was lit with electricity.[10] In 1888, the Dallas Zoo opened making it the first zoological garden in the state.[11]

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.[12] 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

Sanger Brothers ready-to-wear stores. The 14-story Praetorian Building was the first skyscraper
west of the Mississippi River and the tallest building in Texas.

Texan blacks, Mexican Americans and poor whites were excluded from much of the progress by being

Jim Crow
laws, making racial segregation legal and imposing white supremacy.

The Trinity River flooding on 8 July 1908.

In 1908, the Trinity River flooded, reaching 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 at the time of the flood.[13] After the flood, the city wanted to take action to control the 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. By the 1930s, many of his plans had been realized.[3]

The expansion of industrial jobs attracted migrants from across the region, as well as waves of immigrants, first from southern and eastern Europe. The area bordered by Maple Avenue, McKinney Avenue and the MKT (Missouri, Kansas, Texas) Railroad became known as

railroads
.

Postcard commemorating the 1910 lynching of Allen Brooks

A

Black man, Allen Brooks, in 1910. The mob tortured Brooks, then killed him at the downtown intersection of Main and Akard by hanging him from a decorative archway inscribed with the words "Welcome Visitors." Thousands of men, women, and children came to gawk at the torture scene, collecting keepsakes of the murder. It was commemorated with picture postcards. No one was charged with a crime because authorities claimed they could not find anyone responsible.[14][15]

In 1911, Dallas was chosen as the location of the eleventh regional branch of the

Parkland Hospital
.

World War I soldiers parade through Dallas in 1919

The growth of aviation generated new development in the city in World War I. Love Field was established as an aviation training ground. 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.[3] In 1915, Southern Methodist University opened.[3]

Oil period (1930–1945)

Main article: History of Dallas (1930–1945)
Night view of Elm Street, January 1942

Despite the onset of the

Texas Panhandle, the Permian Basin, East Texas, Gulf Coast, and Oklahoma.[3] 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.[16]

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$549 million in today's terms).[3]

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 jeeps and military trucks. In 1943 the city began war rationing, with 376,085 ration books distributed.[17]

Mid century (1946–1974)

President Kennedy and his wife Jackie arriving at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963
Main article: History of Dallas (1946–1974)
President John F. Kennedy in the presidential limousine, minutes before his assassination

In 1958 a version of the

Dallas Memorial Auditorium (now the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center) opened near Canton and Akard Streets in what is now the Convention Center District of downtown. On November 22, 1963, United States President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Elm Street while his motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. The upper two floors of the building from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy, the Texas School Book Depository, have been converted into a historical museum covering the former president's life and accomplishments, Kennedy was declared legally dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital
, 30 minutes after the shooting.

Real estate boom (1975–1985)

Main article: History of Dallas (1975–1985)
Every structure shown here was built during this period, along with tens of others

In the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s, Dallas underwent the building boom which produced a distinctive contemporary profile for the

Savings and Loan crisis
, 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 and the

Dallas Morning News
as the lone major newspaper covering Dallas news.

Current period (1996–present)

Construction in Victory Park in early 2005

In the late 1990s, the booming telecom industry exploded in Dallas, especially in areas like

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

I.M. Pei and Partners), Dallas became the only city in the world with four buildings within one contiguous block that were all designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize
winners.

On May 31, 2016, several cities experienced

record setting flooding.[22][23]

On July 7, 2016,

El Centro College
.

On June 17, 2019, a shooting occurred outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse leaving the perpetrator dead and one injured.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Herbert E. Bolton, "Athanase de Mezieres and the Louisiana-Texas Frontier 1768-1780," Cleveland: Arthur H Clark Company, 1914.
  2. ^ Republic of Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online. By Joseph Milton Nance. Retrieved on 25 September 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Dallas Historical Society - Dallas History Archived 2006-04-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 21 April 2006
  4. ^ Stringer, Dr. Tommy. "Stringer - How did Dallas get its name?". Corsicana Daily Sun. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  5. ^ Dallas City Hall. "Origin of the Name Dallas". Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Dallas, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online. By Jackie McElhaney and Michael V. Hazel. Retrieved on 20 April 2006.
  7. ^ E., REYNOLDS, DONALD (June 15, 2010). "TEXAS TROUBLES".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ W.E.B. DuBois, Black Recosntruction, 1935/ New York: Free Press, 1989, p.560
  9. ^ Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad from the Handbook of Texas Online. By Donovan L. Hofsommer. Retrieved on 15 October 2006.
  10. JSTOR 43471232
    .
  11. ^ DallasZoo.com Archived 2015-08-01 at the Wayback Machine - General Information Archived 2001-04-08 at archive.today . Retrieved on 28 September 2006.
  12. ^ DallasNews.com: Hidden History of Dallas (1876-1900). Retrieved on 12 September 2006.
  13. ^ "The great Trinity River flood of 1908". Oak Cliff. 2015-05-15. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  14. ISBN 9781477310366
    .
  15. ^ Dillard, Coshandra (October 15, 2017). "In downtown Dallas, a crowd of 5,000 watched this black man get lynched—and they took souvenirs". Timeline. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  16. ^ Great Depression from the Handbook of Texas Online. By Ben H. Procter. Retrieved on 20 April 2006.
  17. ^ "Dallas Takes 376,085 No. 2 Ration Books". Dallas Morning News. March 2, 1943. p. 1 – via Newsbank.
  18. ^ Dallas Market Center - About Archived 2006-08-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on August 29, 2006.
  19. ^ a b "Dallas History Timeline - 1980s". Dallas Historical Society. Archived from the original on 22 May 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2006.
  20. ^ City of Dallas Office of Economic Development Archived 2006-10-05 at the Wayback Machine - Information on the home page. Retrieved on 19 October 2006.
  21. ^ NCTCOG - 2030 Demographic Forecast Archived 2006-10-08 at the Wayback Machine - Dallas CBD Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 18 October 2006.
  22. ^ Sutton, Joe (2016-05-31). "Seven dead after record-setting floods in Texas, Kansas - KPAX.com | Continuous News | Missoula & Western Montana". KPAX.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  23. ^ "Texas and Oklahoma Set All-Time Record Wet Month; Other May Rain Records Shattered in Arkansas, Nebraska". Weather.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.

Bibliography

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). excerpt and text search
  • Hazel, Michael V. Dallas: A History of Big D, (1997).
  • Hill, Patricia Evridge. Dallas: The Making of a Modern City, (1996).
  • McDonald, William L. Dallas Rediscovered: A Photographic Chronicle of Urban Expansion, 1870-1925, (1978).
  • Payne, Darwin. Big D: Triumphs and Troubles of an American Supercity in the 20th Century (2nd ed. 2000), 497pp.
  • 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).
  • Shay, Kevin James. A Parent's Guide to Dallas-Fort Worth, (2003). excerpt and text search
  • WPA Writers' Program. The WPA Dallas Guide and History, ed. Maxine Holmes and Gerald D. Saxon, (1939; 1992).

Specialized studies

Race relations

Historiography and memory

  • Behnken, Brian D. "The Southwestern Historical Quarterly and the State of Civil Rights History in Texas." Southwestern Historical Quarterly 125.4 (2022): 482–494. excerpt

Online resources

External links

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