History of Dallas (1856–1873)
The history of Dallas, Texas, United States, from 1856 to 1873 charts the period from the grant of the town's charter to the convergence of the railroads.
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Township
On 2 February 1856, Dallas was granted a town charter during the Regular session of the
Fire of 1860
1860 was a very rough year for the city as it began to prepare for war. Public debates on the issue of secession were held and a volunteer militia was started. 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 hanged, and all other slaves in Dallas were ordered to be whipped. By December of that year, most of the city had been rebuilt. The population was growing so quickly that housing was frequently in short supply.[2]
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 decorated and parades were held, and there was no shortage of volunteers. Since Dallas was so far from the actual fighting, citizens gave money, flour, and other supplies to the Confederate cause. A munitions factory was also built in the city. When the Union Army began to approach Mississippi and Louisiana, the cotton that was typically shipped there was instead shipped to Dallas.[2]
Reconstruction
The
Many Southerners who had been hurt financially during the war came to Dallas to rebuild their fortunes. They couldn't maintain
Politics during the Reconstruction proved to be quite difficult. During the first elections, the voter registration board only allowed supporters of African American suffrage to vote. In 1872, Edmund J. Davis, then governor of Texas, ordered Henry Ervay, then mayor of Dallas, to be removed from office. He refused and was jailed. The state supreme court ruled that the governor did not have the power to remove officials from office, and Ervay was released.[2]
Railroad convergence
In 1871,
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.
References
- ^ a b c DALLAS, TX from the Handbook of Texas Online. By Jackie McElhaney and Michael V. Hazel. Retrieved 20 April 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f Dallas Historical Society - Dallas History Archived 2006-04-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 April 2006.
External links
- Dallas, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Dallas History from the Dallas Historical Society