The Stock Market is Different in Fort Worthby Shirley Moskow
Many visitors never venture into this dim building to see where business is carried on so they miss out on an historic bit of Americana. Still it’s understandable. Why go indoors when the weather’s so grand. They’re on vacation. They’ve come to have fun. They’re content to bask in the sun and have their picture taken in western surroundings. They won’t be disappointed. The Stockyards Historic Area is the place to have a good time.
A walk down the street reveals many small shops selling western gear and souvenirs. The sounds of saloon singers serenade you as you stroll. Stop by the old-fashioned saloon on the first floor of the Stockyard Hotel. With its tin ceiling, lazy fans, gas light chandeliers and calfskin-covered stools, it looks as it did decades ago, when Bonnie and Clyde were on their rampage. Local legend has it that the outlaw couple occupied a corner room with a view off the street so that they could keep an eye out for the law. Around the corner you can visit another hotel, one that was less reputable. At Miss Molly’s, the bedrooms are dressed to welcome guests and the hostelry’s claim to fame was a room with private bath. A sign prominently posted in the lobby proclaims: “Street Girls Bringing in Cowboys Must Pay In Advance.” Today Fort Worth takes pride in being called “Cowtown USA” and honors its cowboy heritage. at the Cattleman’s Museum. Interactive displays explain the importance and meaning of branding symbols, barbed wire and longhorn cattle. By means of a new photographic technology, lifelike figures in period costume speak with facial expressions. Set in dioramas featuring antique props, they recall the history of the army fort that was founded 150 years ago and became this thriving city of half a million people. Tales about cattle rustling and how modern day rustlers are apprehended are particularly interesting.
Evidence of Fort Worth’s cowtown culture is everywhere. The Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art exhibits paintings by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, among others. The cattle baron’s mansion known as Thistle Hill is a reminder of the era when Niles, Texas, later annexed by Fort Worth, was called the “Richest Little Town in The World.” And for visitors who seek and authentic western experience, some area ranches take in overnight guests. It’s all a tribute to Cowtown’s stock market, the live stock market. Copyright 1999 by Shirley Moskow Courtesy of Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau |
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Have you noticed that lately everyone seems to be talking about the stock market? When you’re in Fort Worth, Texas, however, people may not be discussing New York’s Wall Street. Stock market here takes on a whole new meaning. It’s just as likely that the conversation is about live stock. Cattle.
In a long, pink building with a red tile roof, typical of the area’s mission-style architecture, the Fort Worth Live Stock Exchange is the centerpiece of the Stockyards National Historic District. Here stock traders, dressed in dusty cowboy boots and well-worn jeans, sit glued to television screens that are mounted around the room. Although the viewers looks relaxed -- there’s good-natured joshing that goes on as lot after lot of cattle is brought to auction and paraded in front of the camera --you can feel the tension. Competition is keen and the stakes are high. The price of each lot is based on 100 pounds, and the minimum purchase is a truckload. 
You can ride the antique train and see old cattle pens. The first indoor rodeo was held here and there’s still a rodeo every week. Real cowboys demonstrate the skill and daring that most of us see only in old movies. Many visitors like to have their picture taken next to the statue of Bill Picket. The black cowboy, a native Texan, starred in many wild west shows and earned the nickname “bulldozer” after biting a bull’s lip.
Pioneer life was difficult, but it had its rewards. For an understanding of the southwestern pioneer experience, visit Long Cabin Village. At this recreated settlement, costumed guides welcome you into original log cabins. They’ll charm you with frontier lore, often about their own families, and demonstrate the survival skills needed to endure in the wild west.