In 1839, John Neely Bryan, a Tennessee lawyer with a healthy case of wanderlust, stumbled onto the three forks of the Trinity River, a site he thought had the makings of a good trading post and maybe
March 26, 2006 (Press Release) --
In 1839, John Neely Bryan, a Tennessee lawyer with a healthy case of wanderlust, stumbled onto the three forks of the Trinity River, a site he thought had the makings of a good trading post and maybe a town. Bryan eventually built a cabin and sketched out a town. Dallas County was created in 1846, and both city and town were named for George Mifflin Dallas, a Pennsylvanian who served as US vice president under James Polk.
Dallas grew slowly for the next 30 years, though not for a lack of trying. From its start, Dallas has had a flair for self promotion, and Bryan saw to it the city was placed on maps before there was much of a town. A group of French artists and intellectuals arrived in the 1850s to establish an artists' colony known as La Réunion just west of the fledgling city. The community did not last, but some of its members stayed, their presence giving Dallas a sophisticated edge on the frontier.
In the 1870s, at a Dallas legislator's suggestion, the state decided Dallas would be the junction for the north-south Missouri, Kansas & Texas rail line and the east-west Texas & Pacific Railroad. The first train arrived in 1872, sparking a boom that ensured Dallas' preeminence as a trade center. Merchants from New York, Chicago, Boston and St Louis invested heavily in the city. By 1920, with cotton prices soaring, land values had climbed to $300 an acre. And when the East Texas Oil Field was struck 100 miles east in 1930, Dallas became the financial center for the oil industry.
In the post-WWII era, Dallas continued to build on its reputation as a citadel of commerce. The 1950s were marked by the rise of pioneering high-tech company Texas Instruments, creators of many advances including the integrated circuit computer chip, the first single-chip microprocessor and the first electronic hand-held calculator.
Dallas' image took a dive when President John F Kennedy was assassinated during a November 1963 visit to the city. Gradually, however, the city reclaimed its Texas swagger with help from a few new chest-thumping sources of civic pride. The Dallas Cowboys won the first of five Super Bowl titles in 1972, and their success on the field - coupled with the popularity of the skimpily attired Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - helped earn the Cowboys the unofficial title of 'America's Team.'
DFW International Airport opened in 1973, and the city hosted the 1984 Republican National Convention. And then came that little ol' namesake TV show, the top-rated series in the US from 1980 to 1982. The long hot summer of '98 again brought Dallas into the news, with temperatures of at least 100°F (38°C) for 29 consecutive days, widespread crop failures and over 100 deaths.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
Dallas grew slowly for the next 30 years, though not for a lack of trying. From its start, Dallas has had a flair for self promotion, and Bryan saw to it the city was placed on maps before there was much of a town. A group of French artists and intellectuals arrived in the 1850s to establish an artists' colony known as La Réunion just west of the fledgling city. The community did not last, but some of its members stayed, their presence giving Dallas a sophisticated edge on the frontier.
In the 1870s, at a Dallas legislator's suggestion, the state decided Dallas would be the junction for the north-south Missouri, Kansas & Texas rail line and the east-west Texas & Pacific Railroad. The first train arrived in 1872, sparking a boom that ensured Dallas' preeminence as a trade center. Merchants from New York, Chicago, Boston and St Louis invested heavily in the city. By 1920, with cotton prices soaring, land values had climbed to $300 an acre. And when the East Texas Oil Field was struck 100 miles east in 1930, Dallas became the financial center for the oil industry.
In the post-WWII era, Dallas continued to build on its reputation as a citadel of commerce. The 1950s were marked by the rise of pioneering high-tech company Texas Instruments, creators of many advances including the integrated circuit computer chip, the first single-chip microprocessor and the first electronic hand-held calculator.
Dallas' image took a dive when President John F Kennedy was assassinated during a November 1963 visit to the city. Gradually, however, the city reclaimed its Texas swagger with help from a few new chest-thumping sources of civic pride. The Dallas Cowboys won the first of five Super Bowl titles in 1972, and their success on the field - coupled with the popularity of the skimpily attired Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders - helped earn the Cowboys the unofficial title of 'America's Team.'
DFW International Airport opened in 1973, and the city hosted the 1984 Republican National Convention. And then came that little ol' namesake TV show, the top-rated series in the US from 1980 to 1982. The long hot summer of '98 again brought Dallas into the news, with temperatures of at least 100°F (38°C) for 29 consecutive days, widespread crop failures and over 100 deaths.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
Email
Print
SPAM
LEAVE A COMMENT
