When we think of the Stock Exchange, most of us think of Wall Street in New York City, but did you know Texas has a Stock Exchange?
Yup! The Fort Worth Live Stock Exchange at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Major Ripley Arnold established the Fort Worth Stockyards in 1849. Build at the fork of the Trinity River, Fort Worth was the last civilized stopping point as cowboys drove their cattle up the Chisholm Trail. During this era, railroad companies were laying tracks to carry Texas cattle to larger markets, and by the mid 1870s those rails had reached Fort Worth, making the frontier town a major center for buying, selling, and shipping livestock. “Cowtown” was born, and it just kept growing! From 1880 into the 1950s, the Stockyards were the largest livestock tracing center in the southwest. They didn’t sell just cattle, either. Hogs, sheep, horses, and mules were also traded here.
In 1902 the Livestock Exchange Building was built as an office for cattle traders, and it still stands as a centerpiece of the Fort Worth Stockyards, though now it is a museum as well as an office.
The 31st Annual Red Stegall Cowboy Gathering is going on this weekend. If you’re in the area, you should definitely make this a field trip! I suggest visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards in the afternoon so you can watch them drive the longhorn herd down the brick-paved streets. 🙂
