Fort Worth's Cattle Drive Showdown

0:00Back in 1866, the first long-horn cattle drives rolled through Fort Worth on the way to Kansas Railheads kicking off a boom that lasted over a decade. These herds on the Chism Trail turned the town into a cash cow with drover spending big on saloons, supplies, and more during their northbound. And southbound stops. By 1878, trouble brewed as the western trail siphon herds to Dodge City through rival Fort Griffin threatening Fort Worth's. That sparked a fierce newspaper war between Fort Worth's BBB. Paddock and Fort Griffin's George Robson, who traded insults and upped the ante with a hefty bet on who would snag three quarters of the 18. 79 drives. Paddock pushed local businessmen to hire agents and hype the Chism Row, while both editors tallied every herd, like score keepers in a showdown. Fort Worth's real head from 1876 gave it an edge, shipping beef north and drawing crowds of cowboys all season long.

1:00Come fall of 1879, Fort Worth edged out Fort Griffin with more cattle crossing the Trinity River, but nowhere near the three quarters. Needed to claim the pot. Historians market as the last massive push on that trail was supremacy shifting west for a bid. In the end, Fort Worth's hustle paid off long term, cementing its spot as the top cow town and fueling growth that still echoes today. This has been Dallas News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story.